Everything
by ChocolateEclar
Summary: 12 years have passed since Yami’s host died. When the Puzzle is given to Ichidou, events follow such as rivalries and the simple fact that Kaiba, though old, is still very much alive and is not too friendly towards the teenager.
1. Duel One: Ichidou Yachitose

**Everything**

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga.

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, and Miss Jishi. Please don't use them in any form without my permission.

**Full Summary:** 12 years have passed since Yami's former host, Yugi, passed away and since then the Pharaoh has remained dormant within the Millennium Puzzle. When the Puzzle is given to a 16-year old girl named Ichidou Yachitose, events follow that leave both Yami and her changed forever, including the rivalry between some old characters' grandchildren and Ichidou and the simple fact that Seto Kaiba though old is still very much alive and not too friendly towards the teenager.

A/N: I hope you all like this! The title comes from a song that I'm going to use in a later chapter. Whoever guesses the correct song gets an invisible prize! Air! laughs Lame, I know, but I don't care. -

_Duel One: Ichidou Yachitose_

Seto Kaiba frowned at his guest, a middle-aged woman adorned in a crisp silver business suit and skirt, her long chocolate-colored tresses just brushing the middle of her back. "I know why you've come, Mrs. Iyashii, and the answer is still no. Your grandfather entrusted the artifact to me to give to Ichidou Yachitose on her sixteenth birthday," the elderly man reminded her.

"Ah, but, Mr. Kaiba," pleaded Mrs. Iyashii. "You know as well as I do that Grandpa Yugi had no will. My grandmother and I are his only living relatives so naturally we should be given his most prized possession."

"That is an incorrect assumption, Mrs. Iyashii," Kaiba explained darkly. "I was given the Puzzle by your grandfather, therefore it is mine, not Yugi's. Now are there any more questions otherwise I'd like to end this senseless meeting?"

"_Don't you understand what'll happen if this girl gets the Puzzle?_" shrieked Mrs. Iyashii. "The Pharaoh will be under her control, and I doubt she should be given the Puzzle at such a young age anyway!"

Kaiba's frown deepened, causing wrinkles to lengthen on his aged face. "Yugi Mutou was a freshman in high school when he completed the Puzzle. I'm sure we can trust someone even older and who was in Yugi's prophesy. Now, that is all the time I will waste on you." He took a small sip from his glass of wine and tapped a buzzer on the top of his desk.

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?" inquired one of his secretaries, young Miss Jishi, politely.

"Please have my _ototo_ escort Miss Iyashii out of Kaiba Corp. as he requested earlier," replied Kaiba coolly.

"Yes, sir."

Mrs. Suteki Iyashii's remaining saccharine behavior vanished and, after a moment of just her fingers twitching in fury, she accused, "_How can you even think of entrusting a sacred relic, such as the Millennium Puzzle, to a teenager who we know nearly nothing about?_"

"Several years ago, the Millennium Necklace foretold that Ichidou Yachitose would receive the Millennium Puzzle from me after Yugi's death," answered Kaiba as Mokuba appeared. Kaiba's _ototo_ now had shorter hair that was still quite dark with the occasional streak of gray.

Mokuba scowled at Mrs. Iyashii who glared right back at him and got to her feet, her purse clasped tightly in her tiny fists. She turned her head back sharply to Seto and queried heatedly, "_Just tell me this, where are the other Millennium Items?_"

"I believe Anzu Mutou has the answer to that," said Seto Kaiba simply.

Mrs. Iyashii narrowed her amber eyes slightly and nodded. Then she turned and stormed out of Kaiba's office, Mokuba behind her.

With his visitor and _ototo_ gone, Seto safely went over to a wide metal door in one corner of his office and typed a quick code onto the fingerprint sensitive pad to the right of the entrance. The door slid open and Seto stepped inside. Along with other prized belongings like his deck of Duel Monsters cards and several old pictures, there was a reinforced glass case with a golden upside-down triangular with a large eye in its center. It was on a thick chain that hung from a hook at the top of the inside of the container. The Millennium Puzzle, a treasure with so many enigmas it would make even the brightest archeologists' heads spin. No, Seto Kaiba wouldn't let Yugi's granddaughter take the precious treasure. He had promised the King of Games that he would keep the Puzzle safe and out of anyone's hands until the Puzzle's future host was ready.

Several decades before Kaiba wouldn't have believed in any of it. The Heart of the Cards, the Pharaoh, the Millennium Items' hidden powers; he just wouldn't have understood the secrets of Duel Monsters and the Pharaoh within the Puzzle. But he did believe and had the resources to protect the Puzzle. He had been in the prophecy, so Yugi had given the Puzzle to him only a month before he had passed away. Even though Kaiba wouldn't admit it, Mokuba, Jounouchi and Mai Katsuya, and Anzu strongly believed that the CEO of Kaiba Corp. actually missed his old Dueling rival.

Seto studied the Puzzle before turning away. _'In two months this Ichidou Yachitose girl will be sixteen and I'll have to give the Puzzle to her,' _he realized.

He strolled out of the room, locking the metal door behind him, and went over to the large glass windows over-looking the front entrance of Kaiba Corp. below. He watched in barely-disguised amusement as his _ototo_ pushed Suteki Iyashii out the door. He could tell it was Mokuba by his long, dark hair and Mrs. Iyashii by her common attire. It was a rare thing indeed to see Yugi Mutou's granddaughter adorned in anything else but suits.

Seto turned back to his desk and sat down. He had done quite a bit of research on Miss Ichidou Yachitose. She was a reasonably good student and her only living relations were her mother and two grandparents. She hadn't even been born when the Millennium Necklace showed Yugi the Yachitose Premonition, as it was commonly called among Yugi's family and friends. Four years afterwards a little baby girl was named Ichidou Yachitose, and Yugi confirmed that she was the one in his prediction.

Only a few years later Yugi died and the Pharaoh Yami became dormant within the Millennium Puzzle. The period of inactivity would end soon enough though by the hands of a speculative teenage girl.

* * *

Ichidou Yachitose was, in fact, quite adamant on becoming an author and Duel Monsters Champion. She was ruffling through her deck wondering, for what felt like the millionth time, if she should enter the local Dueling competition. She didn't think she was very first-rate at the game, and the thought of losing in front of so many people in her hometown made her cringe.

She looked up and brushed a few rebellious locks of straight brunette hair out of her face. The chocolate-colored tresses were pooling onto her shoulders and out of her messy ponytail. She took the ponytail all the way out and uncrossed her legs. She hopped off her bed, causing it to emit a squeak, and bounded over to her cork bulletin board on her bedroom wall. Her calendar stated quite clearly it was only three weeks until her birthday, and she grinned. _'Sweet sixteen!'_ she reminded herself. She couldn't drive a car and had a feeling she wouldn't be allowed to learn how to for some time. The prospect of having to drive her _okaasan_, Kyouko's, old car didn't dampen her spirits any. She liked the vehicle even though the cerulean paint was flaking and the hood was dented. It had been owned by her _okaasan_ for as long as she remembered and held so many memories they pretty much out-weighed the annoying hacking sound the car made at times.

Ichidou went over to her mirror above her wooden dresser and remade her ponytail. Her bright emerald eyes glittered back at her. She was garbed in baggy blue jeans and a navy T-shirt that was too big in the shoulders, causing the sleeves to sag.

She rotated to the right and hurried out of her room, down the hallway causing the bare wooden floorboards to groan, and down the stairs. "_'Kaasan_!" she called.

"_Hai_, Ichi?" came a reply from the kitchen of the small two-story home.

Ichidou strolled down another hallway, going past the living room entrance, and pushed open the door leading into the kitchen. Ichidou's bare feet made little sound as she walked across the linoleum floor and to the table on the right side of the room. Her _okaasan_ was sitting there, reading a thick book with a faded black cover and yellowing pages. Some of the pages were creased and each time Kyouko came to one of them she would carefully unfold them and press down.

Kyouko looked up at the _ti-n'e-ja_ and smiled. "You're going out with Ryougi?"

"Yeah, we're going to Karei's party," answered Ichidou, snatching her red jacket off of the hook on the wall by the backdoor of the kitchen.

"You'll be back by eleven I presume?" asked Kyouko.

"_Hai_, that creep Sumizome Naifu, Karei's boyfriend, tends to show up at midnight and usually gets drunk, so I'm staying clear of him," said Ichidou.

"Isn't he underage?" Kyouko inquired.

"_Non_, he's twenty-two," stated Ichidou neutrally.

"Isn't Karei your age?"

"_Hai_."

Kyouko looked a bit leery but her daughter's frank attitude made her smile slightly. "All right, but be careful or you're in big trouble, Ichidou," she finally said.

"_Hai_, '_Kaasan_," muttered Ichidou, giving her _okaasan_ a kiss on the cheek and leaving through the backdoor and out into the side alley.

She waited at the end of the alleyway, peering at the street and waiting for her boyfriend's father's red jeep to pull up. Considering the fact that Ryougi could drive and frequently barrowed his dad's car, he was the one that pulled up a few minutes later. He smirked at her and shouted, "Hop in, Ichidou!"

"_Ooi_, Ryougi!" Ichidou said, climbing onto the seat beside his.

"All set?" queried Ryougi.

"_Hai_."

"Then let's get this party started."

* * *

"**_Go away!_**" screamed Ichidou out her bedroom window.

Down below Ryougi hollered, "_Shimatta, Ichidou!_ I told you I was sorry!"

"**_Sorry?_**" shrieked Ichidou; she was nearly hysterical now. "You were making out with Karei! _If Sumizome hadn't shown up early and beaten you up, _I _would've!_"

"Oh, come on, Ichidou!" pleaded Ryougi; his lip was still swollen due to the rough treatment he had received from the party host's boyfriend.

"I told you we're through and I meant it, you pig!" Ichidou roared. And with that said she closed the window and plopped down on her bed and fumed. She had been livid when she had seen Ryougi and Karei together and, when she had gotten home she had sobbed. Now she was through being sad and back to wrath.

She silently called him every curse she knew before turning to the calendar on the bulletin board. Only two weeks until her birthday, and she was totally dateless for the birthday party her friends and family were holding. She shrugged and crossed her arms. _'Good riddance!' _she told herself. _'I'm not gonna let that jerk ruin my sweet sixteen!'_

She leaned back and grimaced as she miscalculated and banged her skull on the headboard of her bed instead of her pillow like she had planned. "I jinxed myself," she mumbled before resting her head comfortably on her pale blue pillow and closing her deep green eyes.

* * *

August sixth marked several important points in time. First of all, Seto Kaiba removed the Millennium Puzzle from his vault and had his limousine bring him to the Yachitose residence a little after six o'clock. Meanwhile, Ichidou's friends and family bustled through the house getting it ready for Ichidou who was at her grandparents' home helping her _obaasan_ bake her birthday cake, a three layer strawberry paradise.

At three-thirty Ichidou and her _obaasan_ returned to the Yachitose house to find a living room covered in sky blue streamers, navy balloons, and numerous smiling faces. "Happy birthday!" they yelled, causing Ichidou to grin and blush joyfully.

They celebrated, ate dinner, and even had dessert, the delicious cake. At five her friends left so that Kyouko and Ichidou could celebrate alone, and Kyouko went upstairs to rest. She was weary after events such as gatherings of many people. Her body had a low tolerance for such things. She would be geared up to go in only a couple of hours though.

The doorbell rang and Ichidou yelled, "I'll get it!" She opened the door to see an old man decked in a blue suit, a black limousine behind him, and a dark suitcase in his hand.

"Miss Yachitose?" Seto Kaiba inquired in a composed, impartial manner.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it! This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic!

A/N 2: **Here are the Japanese Translations:**

Ototo=younger brother

'Kaasan=informal way of saying mother

Hai=yes

Okaasan=mother

Ti-n'e-ja=teenager

Non=no

Ooi=hey!

Shimatta=damn it!

Obaasan=grandmother

**And the OC Name Translations:**

Ichidou=one road, a ray (of hope),

Yachitose=thousands of years, eternity

Ichi=one, Ichidou's mother's nickname for her daughter

Kyouko=firmness, stability, security, strength

Ryougi=double meaning, two meanings

Karei=beauty

Sumizome=dying black, dyed black, dark

Naifu=knife

I'm using a dictionary website to translate these so there could be errors. Please let me know if there is.

A/N 3: By the way, don't forget to review!!!!!!!! Bye!


	2. Duel Two: An Encounter With a Pharaoh

**Everything**

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga.

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, and Miss Jishi. Please don't use them in any form without my permission.

**_Duel Two: An Encounter With a Pharaoh_**

"Let me get this straight," Ichidou muttered as she sat across from Seto Kaiba in the living room. "Twenty-some years ago this Yugi Mutou guy predicted you would give some puzzle-thingamajig to me today… _How is that even possible?_ I wasn't even born then!"

"There is a way," said Kaiba in a voice so annoyingly calm it was grating on Ichidou's nerves.

"_What do ya mean?_" she shouted.

"I mean, Miss Yachitose, that I don't have time today to answer you're petty inquiries," replied Kaiba, as cool as ever. He brushed a hand through his white hair and frowned. "It is time for me to give you the Millennium Puzzle and be off," he said after awhile.

He took the bulky briefcase he had laid beside him and entered the code into the little lock by its latches. The lid snapped open and Ichidou had her first glimpse of the Puzzle. It was large and golden, a triangular work of Egyptian dexterity. Ichidou let out a tiny expletive between an oath and a gasp.

Kaiba gently took the Millennium Puzzle from its spot resting on its Styrofoam bed and handed it to Ichidou – who peered at each marking engraved in its shining surface carefully. Kaiba stood slowly and said, "You must protect it now."

"_Hai_," mumbled Ichidou, mesmerized by the artifact in her hands. She looked up at the retreating back of the old man and queried, "Should I tell the truth if someone asks me where I got this?"

Kaiba stopped and turned his head towards Ichidou. "Tell anyone who asks you received it from me for whatever reason you'd like except the truth," he answered.

"_Yoroshii_," replied Ichidou. She followed him back to the front door and watched as he stepped up to the limousine. Someone opened the door for him, and he ducked inside as gracefully as if he were far younger than he actually was. Then, the dark automobile drove away leaving the _ti-n'e-ja_ leaning against the doorjamb, puzzledly studying the Millennium Puzzle in her hands.

* * *

Seto Kaiba sighed as the limousine drove down the little street Ichidou lived on. He ignored the insignificant lad who made a rude gesture at the car and thought instead of the peculiar girl he had just met. She seemed normal on the outside. She gave the impression of just an average schoolgirl adorned in jeans and a tank top with straight, shoulder-length tresses. But the uncharacteristic way she had gazed at the Puzzle left him wondering if she was so normal. Her eyes had been shining with gold on emerald, that he was sure. Whether the light was from the Puzzle or an inner light Kaiba was uncertain.

His thoughts turned to the Millennium Necklace's prediction. He recalled quite clearly the time Yugi had had the premonition. Yugi had been sure that, unlike Isis Ishtar's prophecy of Seto's defeat at her hands in Battle City, his would occur no matter what. _'And so it has,'_ Seto admitted. _'The girl now has the Puzzle.' _

He glanced out the tinted windows and saw the huge Kaiba Corporation building come into view. Outside the structure, tapping one sandaled foot crossly on the concrete sidewalk, was Anzu Mutou.

The car stopped and the limousine door opened. Kaiba leisurely got out of the car; he was well aware of why Yugi's widow was so angry.

Anzu didn't disappoint him. "**_You just had to tell Suteki I knew where the other Millennium Items were, didn't you?_**" she shrieked, her gray hair framing her face in an angry wreath. "_Suteki wouldn't stop pestering me until I threw her out of my house!_"

Seto smirked; it was very much like the sneer he had once used on Yugi and his friends but kinder to a certain degree. He had no doubt Suteki Iyashii would harass her _obaasan_ to such lengths.

* * *

Ichidou sat down on her bed and came to the decision that she should try the Puzzle on. She slipped the chain over her head so that the Puzzle rested on her chest and gazed down at it. It was then that the eye engraved on the front of the Puzzle began to glow, and Ichidou was engulfed in darkness.

* * *

Within his soul room, gradually, almost lazily, the Pharaoh opened his eyes and set their purple depths on the chamber he was in. He was leaning against a stone wall while shadows filtered across the edges of the hall. Images played in his mind.

_Yugi. Anzu. Jou. Honda. Mai. Bakura. Seto. Mokuba. Malik. Isis. Shadi. _

Some were dead. That was something he recalled clearly. His _aibou_ was one of the deceased he remembered sadly. Since he was awake, did that mean he had a new host? The thought caused him to stand up quickly and close his eyes. He "searched" through his own soul chamber with his mind for anyone and, when he found no one, he investigated the corridor outside his soul room. Instead of Yugi's familiar room, across the hallway was someone far different's.

He vanished from his own room and reappeared outside of the new area. Inside was a pale blue room with a sea of stars painted on its ceiling and a few books on the floor. There was a desk with a computer and a navy stuffed cat on top. He stepped inside and whipped his whole body towards the left when he heard a small noise.

There was a teenage girl leaning down and flipping through the pages of one of the books on the floor. She straightened up abruptly when she heard Yami's footsteps and gasped in surprise. "Who-Who are you?" she queried, peering at him curiously with emerald eyes.

Yami smiled slightly at the short _ti-n'e-ja_. She was taller than Yugi had been in his teenage years but still not of an average height. "You may call me Yami. Tell me your name."

"I'm Ichidou," replied the girl, smiling faintly.

* * *

Eventually the darkness abated and Ichidou found herself in a cerulean room filled with books, a computer, and a stuffed animal. She started to take a look at a book when she heard _him_. She looked up startledly and set her eyes on the Pharaoh. He had enigmatic amethyst eyes and strange spiky hair that was a mix of red, yellow, and black streaks.

"Who-Who are you?" Ichidou asked, feeling a bit awed.

"You may call me Yami. Tell me your name," replied the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle.

Ichidou answered his question pleasantly. She couldn't help but smile as she stared at the Pharaoh. "Where am I?" she inquired.

"You are in your soul room," Yami replied, his arms crossed under where the Millennium Puzzle dangled from his neck. Ichidou looked down and realized she was still wearing the Puzzle. "H-How – " she began.

"We are now connected by means of the Millennium Puzzle, _aibou_," Yami stated.

Ichidou gave him a confused look so Yami added, "You will soon understand what I mean, Ichidou."

Ichidou nodded slowly, taking in what he had said. "So you live in the Millennium Puzzle?" she queried.

"Live may not be the correct word, but yes, I suppose you're right," replied Yami.

Ichidou made a half-smile at his words before asking, "How is that possible?" _'I seem to be asking that question again today,'_ she realized.

"Five thousand years ago, I was a Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt," Yami explained. "I was sealed within the Millennium Puzzle and several years passed. I was awakened by a boy named Yugi Mutou."

Ichidou believed in a lot of things. She believed that in the morning her _okaasan_ was the most frightening human in the world. She believed her mathematics teacher was secretly a vampire. She believed Ryougi was a slimy sewer rat in disguise. One thing her mind, however open it was, couldn't comprehend easily was the idea of mythological scenarios in real life. _'Its just an oxymoron,'_ she told herself.

Sure, she had been one of those tots wishing for magic powers and writing Christmas lists for Santa, but that was in the past. Now she was practical, right?

"I-I-_That can't be true!_" she stammered. "I mean next thing you're gonna tell me Duel Monsters are real!"

Tranquilly, as if he had expected as much, Yami whispered, "Duel Monsters do existent." He said it as if it was the most natural fact and, for a Pharaoh who had grown up at a time in which Duel Monsters were very common, it probably was fairly natural.

"You gotta be joking!" Ichidou accused. She was visibly shaken now, her eyes wide and a mixture of brilliant green and aureate.

"Believe whatever you wish, but I know you will comprehend soon enough," said Yami, turning away.

"Wait!" called Ichidou to no avail. In the next instant, Yami had disappeared, and she was surrounded in shadows once more before finding herself back in her bedroom. She blinked confusedly before realizing what had occurred. She looked down at the Puzzle around her neck and frowned. It had more mysteries than she had first suspected.

* * *

A/N: Hello again. _(laughs)_ Here are the few translations for the chapter (only two, which is a very small amount compared to the last chapter, no?): Yoroshii=OK, good, all right, fine, very well 

Aibou=partner, companion

A/N 2: REVIEWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!! Please?

Seto: You're reduced to begging. Pathetic. You're no better than that dog, Jounouchi.

Choccy (ChocolateEclar): _(sticks out her tongue)_

Ichidou: _(laughing)_ _Real_ mature, Choc.

Choccy: _I know. (winks) _Bye! See ya next chapter!


	3. Duel Three: Unwelcome Assistance

**Everything**

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga.

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka, Ke-ki and her gang, and Miss Jishi. Please don't use them in any form without my permission.

**To ArtemisObscure:** I agree, Seto rocks! I keep wanting to picture him in my head as young while I write but that really doesn't work well considering he's nearly ninety in my story. defending herself So he looks good for his age in my head. laughs Just kidding.

Thanks for pointing out my whine/wine slip-up. Argh! I can't believe I did that.

The reason I put Yugi and Anzu together was because I supposed they kind of liked each other and I don't hate them, but they're not my favorite characters so I just put them together. (GO SETO! Complex evil-at-times bishies rule! ) Yugi isn't really going to be in the story so I figured I could bear the pairing. Does that make sense? I think I'm confusing myself. Anyway, thanks a bunch for reviewing!

**To silver swan1:** Yea, plots seem to be great rare items at times, no? I have trouble writing without one and making some of those brainless comedy fanfics. I guess I'll stick to my plots. Thank you for the compliments!

**_Duel Three: Unwelcome Assistance_**

****

"Grandma?" called a small child adorned in a brown smock and cuddling a chocolate-colored kitten to her chest.

"Yes, Hathor?" replied an old woman with tan, wrinkled skin and piercing blue eyes. She was robed all in white with her long gray hair flowing over her shoulders. Her eyes were outlined in black, as were her granddaughter's, and she was wearing a golden circlet, several bangles, and a wide collar that covered half her neck and had a sparkling green gem in its center.

"What is that?" queried Hathor, pointing to a glittering necklace with an eye in its center that was draped around the neck of a bust of a goddess.

"That is the Millennium Necklace," replied her grandmother evenly. "When Yugi Mutou, the chosen possessor of the Millennium Items, died the Items returned to wherever they had been kept before the awakening of the Pharaoh. The Millennium Necklace came here; the Puzzle was kept in the hands of Seto Kaiba until only a few days ago, and the other Items (including the Millennium Rod, thank the Gods) went back to the tomb where Shadi and his descendents now watch over it."

"How do you know what happened to a Puzzle a few days ago?" asked Hathor.

Isis Ishtar smiled softly. "Admittedly, my darling, I did use the Necklace, but I promise I haven't used it for many years and not since the one time a few years ago. Now off to bed with you!" She pushed the girl gently out of the damp chamber, and Hathor rushed up a nearby staircase. "I'll make sure Grandpa, your parents, and Uncle Malik say goodnight to you, Hathor!" Isis added.

Hathor stopped for a moment, turning her head and grinning at her grandmother. She nodded and continued on, leaving Isis who took one last look at the Millennium Necklace on the statue and went to look for her brother outside.

Sure enough, leaning against the side of the stone structure was Hathor's Great-Uncle Malik. "'Kid's in bed?" he questioned, tipping his head of pale white tresses up at the night sky. Isis nodded, smiling tenderly at her younger brother. He had traveled the world, trying to forget his sins against the Pharaoh and his friends and what the spirit of the Millennium Rod had done to him. In the end he was weary and content to just stay put from now on, watching over his nephew and his family along with Isis and her husband.

"This came for you," said Malik, handing a pale blue envelope to his sister.

"Ahh, its from Anzu Mutou," Isis said, smiling softly. She opened the envelope and slid out a folded sheet of teal paper. Written in a shining gold penmanship, Isis read:

_Dear Isis,_

_ I thought I'd let you know that Seto has indeed handed the Millennium Puzzle reluctantly over to Ichidou Yachitose. He told me he doesn't particularly like the girl, but that's unsurprising, no? _

_Additionally, I must warn you of my granddaughter's prying. Suteki really is becoming a nuisance, and Seto isn't helping by telling her I know where the other Items are. Don't worry though. I won't be telling her in my lifetime. I hope you, Malik, and the rest of your family are well!_

_ Your friend,_

**_Anzu_ **

Malik, who had been reading the letter over his sister's shoulder, chuckled in a way not too unlike that of the spirit of the Millennium Rod. "That spoiled brat was bad enough when she was little, now she's a demon," he muttered.

"Suteki's husband's is partly to blame for that," replied Isis unperturbedly.

"Good point. She did marry that rich old relic. What was his name?" Malik agreed, grinning slightly at Isis.

"Chuuko Iyashii," stated Isis. "He died over twenty years ago, which was around the time Suteki's grandfather did as well."

"So he did, and now Suteki's one wealthy young widow," Malik mumbled.

Isis frowned slightly at her brother, but privately agreed with him. Suteki's fortune couldn't rival a certain CEO of Kaiba Corp, but she still was one of the richest people on the planet.

"UNCLE MALIK! Grandma promised me you'd say goodnight to me!" came the shrill cry of a child as Hathor walked out the door, her bare feet touching the cool night sand of the desert.

Malik sighed and turned to his great-niece. "All right, all right. I'm coming," he said, nodding to his sister meaningfully and following Hathor down the steps.

Isis watched them go before turning to the night sky, recalling the final images she had seen from the Millennium Necklace.

_A girl of around seven or eight with coffee-colored tresses and adorned in a nightgown, sobbing near a lifeless body of a man. A teenage girl taking the Millennium Puzzle carefully out of Seto Kaiba's grasp. The same schoolgirl meeting the Pharaoh_.

Somehow, even though she had never met Ichidou herself, the Millennium Necklace had convinced her that the girl could be trusted with the Puzzle.

* * *

"Ichi, you're gonna be late to work if you don't get down here now!" called Kyouko from the bottom of the staircase.

"Coming, _'Kaasan_!" yelled Ichidou. She was trying to decide whether to leave the Millennium Puzzle home or not. Finally she decided to go with the latter and slipped the chain over her neck. She made sure to keep it hidden as she said good-bye to her _okaasan_ and slipped outside.

She strolled down the street in the direction of her workplace, holding the Puzzle in her hands. "It doesn't look too special," she whispered.

"_Yo, Yachitose!_ You know talking to yourself is a sign of insanity!" shouted a gruff female voice.

Ichidou looked up dully to make eye contact with Ke-ki Minkan. She was adorned in a white spaghetti strap top and tight jean shorts and was leaning against a fence, her short rainbow hair framing her face. Around her was her fan club of which the girls all had similar tresses and clothing, while the guys all were in jeans and leather with spiky hair of various colors. _'Can you say 'leather fetish?'_ Ichidou asked herself.

"Oh hi, Ke-ki," said Ichidou, nervously biting her lip. "Nice day, huh?"

"Nice day for a repeat performance of last time, Yachitose," snapped Ke-ki.

"Oh!" gulped Ichidou. "I was just joking about the whole 'couldn't decide which color dye to use' thing, honest!"

"I'm not dumb, Yachitose," Ke-ki retorted.

"I was just kidding, really!" Ichidou cried out, backing away from the gang. **_'Just great!'_** Ichidou thought. _'The only way I was able to get away last time was because that squad car happened to go by!'_ She examined the competition and realized, _'I'm doomed! It's eleven healthy seniors versus one lowly sophomore! Instant massacre! **Ahhh!!!**' _

Ke-ki sauntered forward menacingly and that was when the Millennium Puzzle began to glow. Golden light sprang from the eye in its center, and Ichidou cried out, while the gangsters gasped. Ichidou felt a bolt of adrenaline run through her, and in the next instant, she felt her lips move against her accord.

"Not dumb?" she asked in a voice a bit deeper than her usual one. Her brown tresses now had a few strands of gold mixed in and stood slightly on end. "Why don't we play a game to find out how smart you are, hmm?"

"A game?" asked Ke-ki. "You've cracked, Yachitose." Her bunch of hooligans all snickered and jeered at Ichidou.

"Perhaps I have, either way if I win the game I leave unharmed, if you win you can do whatever you want with me," said the possessed Ichidou.

_'No! **Stop!**'_ yelled Ichidou inside her soul room looking out a hole in its wall at Ke-ki and her gang as they taunted her.

Yami casually appeared at her side, his hands in his pockets. Ichidou jumped and shrieked, "I should've known it was you who was making me do this! _You're gonna get me killed, you moron!_"

"Stay calm. We won't lose," the Pharaoh said in a tone that said quite clearly he would never be beaten at a game. It made Ichidou want to strangle him.

"**_What do you care?_**_ You don't have a body! **I can handle this by myself!** _" she screamed.

Yami, the great spirit of the Millennium Puzzle and former Pharaoh, winced at the girl's screeches. "Very well," he whispered frigidly.

And suddenly Ichidou had full control of her body. Of course, being an _all-powerful_ _ti-n'e-ja_ she twisted around and ran down the sidewalk.

**_"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"_**

****

"_Ooi_!"

"Get her!"

"C'mon, guys!"

Inside Ichidou's soul room, Yami asked emotionlessly, "This is how you handle this by yourself?"

"_Oh_," gasped Ichidou. Pant. "_Shut._" Grunt. "**_Up!_**" She dived into her destination, the greengrocer's on the corner of the street. She hurried into the main office where her boss, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, looked up at her coolly and went to the doorway. Outside Ke-ki and her gang hurried up, and all but the former cringed at the sight of the middle-aged woman.

"Ah, if it isn't Miss Minkan… _Get out!_" Komayaka snarled.

"_Who's gonna make me?_" retorted Ke-ki.

"_I am_, now git goin' " the grocery manager snapped.

Ichidou watched in triumphant amazement as the hooligans left.

Komayaka turned around, fixing one of her auburn curls behind her ear. "C'mon, Ichidou. You can stick up to those 'fraidy cats," she said.

"I wish I could, but they could pummel me into the ground a hundred times before I could make a mark on them," muttered Ichidou.

"I didn't say anything about beating 'em up," snapped the manager. "You saw how I scared 'em away. Just be intimidating. I've seen you boss around the newbies at work. Don't deny it."

"You're just saying that," Ichidou mumbled.

"Nay, I know ya can."

Ichidou just smiled and shook her head sadly. _'No,'_ she thought. _'I'll just have to keep an eye out and stay far away from them.'_

She straightened her uniform – a long, light blue shirt with wavy sleeves and a pair of navy pants – and combed a hand through her hair. She pinned on her nametag and went towards her cash register booth. Her face was all business now. There was no time for mystic spirits and their control of other bodies, right? _Or so she thought._

Abruptly, she was scanning a box of cereal in the grocery store and standing across from Yami in her soul room at the same time. It was a disconcerting feeling and one that she didn't appreciate while she was working. "What is it?" she asked Yami, trying hard to keep her "real" lips from forming the words.

The effort made her jumpy and when a customer queried, "Miss?" she nearly jumped out of her skin.

Her two environments were overlaid and it was hard to discern the two. In one, Yami was strikingly visible against the blues of the soul room and in the other she was perfunctorily printing a receipt for a shopper.

When Ichidou had given up in wondering if Yami was going to reply or not, he did. "Why did you refuse my help but accept another's?" he questioned in a deep impassive voice Ichidou had become accustomed to.

"I-well-I didn't really want _anyone's_ help. I was just going to work," said Ichidou with difficultly. "You see, I was hoping I could just lose them but that plan didn't work well, and I didn't really like yours. It was too dangerous." It was becoming easier to speak as she went along.

"Hmm," mumbled Yami, nodding vaguely.

And as suddenly as it had occurred, the double layers of sight vanished, and Ichidou had to finish work to her chagrin. Numerous thoughts swirled around in her head, but the Pharaoh remained silent. He had returned to his own soul room and was leaning against one of the stone walls, his eyes shut as he considered his _aibou_.

* * *

A/N: So there you have it. Ichidou's a bit too independent for her own good. I loved writing the little banter between her and Yami. Expect more of that!

A/N 2: Here are the name translations for this chapter:

Chuuko=used, second-hand, old

Ke-ki=cake

Minkan=private, civilian, civil, popular, folk

Komayaka=friendly

Mada=yet, still, more, besides

Tafunesu=tough

Choccy: _(grins) _Komayaka's name means "friendly yet tough." _(laughs)_ As always if I made a mistake in translating please let me know.

Cineris: _(cheep)_

Iyami: 'Forgetting something? _(dry look)_

Choccy: Oh yea. Hehe. I almost forgot. This is Cineris, my baby phoenix and muse.

Iyami: _Heyyyyyy…_

Choccy: Hehe. Oh and this is my yami Iyami. (It means disagreeableness, gaudiness, or sarcasm, which is exactly what she's like.)

Cineris: _(trills)_

Choccy: _(cuddles Cineris)_ Don't forget to review!

Cineris: _(peep)_

Iyami: _(grunt)_

Claimer 2: I own Cineris and Iyami so don't touch them! _(grabs her muse and yami and nearly strangles them by hugging them too tight)_

Iyami: Xx Grrrr… _Baka_…

Cineris: _(dazed)_

Choccy: _(nervous laugh)_ I guess I'll end this before my yami kills me… Bye!_(tries to sneak away)_

Iyami: _Argh!_ Choccy! _(chases Choccy)_

Choccy: _(gulp)_ AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! _(runs away)_

Cineris: _(peep?)_


	4. Duel Four: A Dismal Horizon

**Everything**

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga.

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka, Ke-ki and her gang, and Miss Jishi. Please don't use them in any form without my permission.

**To ArtemisObscure:** I agree, Isis as a grandma is a little strange. _(laughs)_ I couldn't think of a character from the show to be her husband so he's remaining anonymous for now. - Quite a few people think it should be Isis/Seto. I don't know about you, but I just don't like that pairing. Ick.

Now that I've mentioned Seto I might as well let you know you'll see a young Seto in a flashback or something just be patient. I'm working on it for you as much as for me. Hehe.

As for Bakura, I'm working on that too. _(laughs)_

A/N: I'm soooooo sorry this has taken so long. I'll admit I'm lazy. I've just been so engrossed in reading other people's stories I've neglected my own. Here's the long awaited chapter 5.

**_Duel Four: A Dismal Horizon_**

"She's back." It was a simple statement that Yami only uttered to constrain the gathering silence. His train of thought didn't turn down a different lane though. He was finally jostled out of his contemplation as a peculiar feeling over swept him. _Something had changed._ In the next instant he realized that not only had something changed but also, there was something wrong with Ichidou. He could "feel" what she felt dimly as if by a half-forgotten link. But he had always known it was there. It was the bond between a vessel and his or her _yami_.

A few hours before, Ichidou had returned home after work only to change into a denim skirt and a turquoise sleeveless T-shirt and to leave the Millennium Puzzle behind. Yami had protested, claming Ke-ki and/or one of her acolytes might be at this party-thing she was going to.

"_Goshinpainaku_, Yami," Ichidou had replied. She appeared spruce and content, her confrontation with Ke-ki and her gang that morning seemed to be far from her mind. (A/N: Goshinpainaku=Don't worry)

_'It's as if their mocking of her is just an average daily event,'_ Yami had realized.

"I can handle myself, remember?" Ichidou had continued, bringing Yami back to the topic at hand.

They had argued a bit more, but in the end there really was nothing he could do. He wouldn't control her as the spirit of the Millennium Ring had controlled Bakura. No, he would let her do as she pleased for now.

But at the sudden feeling of "wrongness" he was immediately at the door of Ichidou's room. The usually easily accessed, door-less room now sported a metal door a bit like his own, but it was new and shining. He tapped it with one cautious finger. It was definitely a real mind block.

"Ichidou?" he called.

No answer.

He knew more than most about mind blocks and traps and reasons for them to be put up. Still, he was very tempted to knock this one down. Instead, he vanished back inside his own soul room.

* * *

Ichidou arrived at the party cheerfully only to have her good spirits dashed. The fire in her eyes flared up in fury at the sight of her auburn-haired ex-boyfriend. Ryougi's arm was draped over Karei's shoulders. Karei was attractive with short blonde curls and large jade eyes. Ichidou ignored them both and went over to her best friends, Nenriki Tomobito and Kurisutaru Susume.

"Hi, Riki, Kuri," said Ichidou.

"Hi," said Kuri simply. Kurisutaru Susume was rarely outspoken but easy for Ichidou to talk to because she would always give her opinion honestly. Her clothes consisted of a duster and a long denim skirt like Ichidou's. Her hair was long, flaxen, and framed her face in a large heart shape. She looked quite like her _tsuin_, Karei, in the face but not in attire.

"_Ooi_, Ichidou! What's up?" queried Nenriki. His hair was brown with a few spikes on top and he was adorned in a black T-shirt and blue jeans. A bright blue eye winked at Ichidou who smiled faintly.

_'Trust Riki to help ease my mood with a smile and a wink,'_ thought Ichidou who answered his question with a half-truth. She couldn't tell them what she was going through. She had trouble believing that Yami was real herself.

"What about you, guys?" she questioned the other two members of the trio of friends.

"Nothin' much," said Kuri.

Riki shrugged. "My '_tousan_, _keibo_, and I went to see my great-grandparents, but that was nothing special. All we did is eat, play cards, and watch T.V," he replied.

"And that's bad?" asked Kuri.

"It is when your _sousofu_ is snoring in your ear while your _sousobo_ is boring you to death by alternating between talking about her amazing salsa recipe, how "spry" she still is, and how she remembers the first computers and dual disks," rejoined Riki. 

The girls snickered and agreed with him. A light went on in Ichidou's head. Kaiba Corporation was the only company that manufactured duel disks. _'Kaiba?'_ she wondered. _'Seto Kaiba?'_ she hadn't put the old man and the company together before then, but now that she thought about it, it made perfect sense. Another question plagued her mind then. _'How did he even get the Millennium Puzzle?'_

She would have to find out more later because right now she had more important matters to handle.

_A bullet whizzing into a nearby wall being one. _

_The screams being another._

Kuri pulled her down to the floor, while Riki grabbed someone else. Ichidou looked around fearfully to see someone pointing a gun at her head. No, not _her_ head, someone else's. She recognized the frightened face even though she had never seen it in such a way.

"'Scared, Nenriki?" inquired a cool female voice. All was silent, and Ichidou was sure she could hear her own heart beating frantically.

"Nekura, what are you doing?" asked Riki, there was no quiver in his voice, but Ichidou knew he was scared. _'Then again,'_ her mind reasoned, _'Anyone would be scared if someone, let alone your own ex-girlfriend, just showed up with a gun.' _She was surprised her brain could still make a coherent thought let alone one like that.

Nekura Kyouran giggled, grinning at Riki viciously. Ichidou had never particularly liked Nekura but she never would've thought that a week after Riki and Nekura's break-up, she would be back with a firearm.

Beside her, Kuri was gritting her teeth. She made up her mind, jumped up, and dived at Nekura before Ichidou could protest. There was a moment of scuffing in which almost everyone, including Ichidou and Riki, helped Kuri pry the pistol out of Nekura's hands.

After the police had been called and they all had been questioned, Ichidou leaned her head against a wall and let out a long breath. _'We all could've died. Nekura was more than ready to kill us all,'_ she realized. The thought brought her back to that day so long ago.

_'It's been ten years,'_ she realized, sighing. _'It doesn't make it any less painful.'_

* * *

Kyouko watched her _ojousan_ walk up the stairs in a slow pained set of motion. She was hurting, but not physically. Ichidou had told her all that had happened at the party, leaving Kyouko deeply shaken. It shook her to the core to have her darling in such danger, and she had soothed Ichidou as best as she could by hugging, kissing, and comforting her.

Ichidou reached her bedroom in silence, slowly closing the door behind her and collapsing on her bed and sobbing. She had sniffled as her _okaasan_ had fretted over her, but she had stifled the urge to bawl uncontrollably.

* * *

_"Daddy?" inquired a tiny Ichidou almost fearfully. Why was he lying on the bathroom floor? Why wouldn't he answer her? He always kissed her goodnight._

_No answer whatsoever came to her query. _

_Ichidou tried again, tugging at her nightgown nervously. She pressed one tiny hand on the shoulder of her otousan; he didn't stir. "Daddy, wake up!" Ichidou exclaimed. She was truly frightened now. She called out his name several more times pleading with him to rouse, to yell at her for being foolish, **to do anything!**_

_But he didn't move and eventually Ichidou ran to get Kyouko. She didn't even notice the open, half full bottle of pills on the floor as her barefoot brushed it. _

* * *

"But the police noticed it," muttered Ichidou. She was unaware of the fact that she was both in her bedroom and soul room at the same time.

_Suicide…_

Felo-de-se… 

****

_Name: Futokui Yachitose. Age: 31. Cause of death: Suicide…_

****

She groaned and tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. Her forehead was clammy with slick sweat.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the Pharaoh himself, Yami was gradually getting more and more worried about his young _aibou_. He had no knowledge of what was going on behind Ichidou's soul room door, and the thought left him feeling aberrantly uneasy. They were connected after all, and the link was clearly informing him of his host's unhappiness.

Finally, he resolved to go break down the ward on the door to see what was wrong with Ichidou. So a few moments later, he appeared before the metal door, determinedly pulling his arms back before thrusting them forward, without touching the door, in a clean swoop. And with that accomplished, the door came off its hinges and fell inside with a crash.

He couldn't recall ever doing such before, and he wondered how upon the Gods' might he knew how, but that was just another mystery of his past. He stepped into the room and immediately noticed the changes in the atmosphere of the room. The blue décor was shadowed in half-darkness. No one seemed to be present except for the King of Games, but he knew it couldn't be so. The soul room had the air of being occupied by its owner.

He searched the floor and walls for a clue as to the whereabouts of his vessel and soon came upon the faint outline of a door in the wall farthest from the entrance. It was the same color as the walls and as such was nearly undecipherable in the gloomy surroundings. His violet eyes exposed it after several examinations of the room, and he stepped up to the door.

With a touch of his hand, the door was replaced with a dark void of the same rectangular shape. Inside, a child sat on the dark floor and was hugging her legs to her chest, rocking back and forth. She was whispering something, her green eyes glazed over. The girl was adorned in a white nightgown and had coffee-colored curls.

Yami attempted to step inside only to be violently pushed back. The girl looked up fiercely and was suddenly much older and wearing a skirt and tank top. "Ichidou," insisted Yami, trying to get inside again.

"_Go away_," snarled Ichidou, she looked feral with angry flecks of gold mingling among the emerald depths of her eyes.

Yami pushed against the invisible barrier to no avail. Ichidou's mind was stronger than he had thought. The barricade just wouldn't budge. "Ichidou!" he repeated loudly.

Ichidou grunted and instinctively squinted her eyes at Yami. The Pharaoh was shoved back so firmly that he landed on his back. He gradually got back to his feet, brushing a bit of flaxen bangs out of his face. Surprise and indignation were evident in his conduct, but he showed known of these on his face.

Ichidou was surprised herself, both at her ability to do such to Yami and at how she could read the enigmatic Pharaoh. Her ire only faltered for a moment before she was back on track and yelling, "_I WANT TO BE ALONE! YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU ASS! **YOU'RE SHUT UP IN YOUR SOUL ROOM ALL DAY!**_"

"You think this has just to do with you?" inquired Yami in a perfectly composed tone. "I'm afraid it doesn't. Why do you think you can feel my current emotions? It's because we are linked through the Millennium Puzzle. We feel each other's emotions as long as it is near you."

"Is that the only reason you wanted to bother me? So _you_ could feel better?" muttered Ichidou, staring at the ground.

Yami let out a noise between a grunt and an exasperated sigh. "If that's what you think then I suppose you can't read me as well as I can you," he said seriously.

"_What makes you think you're any better at reading _me" snapped Ichidou, looking up sharply.

Yami stared back at her sturdily. "Hmm, I have quite a bit more experience than you," he replied. "'By a good many years."

Ichidou grumbled and turned away. With a deft flick of her right hand, the barrier was gone, and Yami followed her into the depths of the endless darkness. Before long Ichidou stopped, once more a little girl in a nightgown.

At her feet was the limp body of a brunette man decked in jeans and a T-shirt. A tiny container of pills lay beside his right wrist and his chest wasn't moving with the steady breathing of a living being.

_It was Ichidou's father as the _ti-n'e-ja_ remembered him last._

Behind Ichidou was an enraged teenage girl decked in leather and pointing a pistol at Nenriki Tomobito. Only two things connected both events. 

_Ichidou herself and people she loved whether inadvertently or not._

* * *

A/N: Here are all the translations sorted into words and name meanings:

Goshinpainaku=don't worry, never mind

Tsuin=twin

'Tousan=informal way of saying father

Keibo=stepmother

Sousofu=great-grandfather

Sousobo=great-grandmother

Ojousan=daughter

Otousan=father

Names:

Nenriki=will power, faith

Tomobito=companion

Kurisutaru=crystal

Susume=recommendation, advice, encouragement, suggestion

"Kuri"=chestnut, Kurisutaru Susume's nickname

"Riki"=strength, Nenriki Tomobito's nickname

Nekura=dark-natured, introverted, dour, moody, insular

Kyouran= fury, frenzy, madness

A/N 2: **_Please review!!!_**

Iyami: _(sigh)_ Pathetic.

Choccy: _(ignoring her yami)_ Bye!


	5. Duel Five: Hanrui Troubles

**Everything**

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga.

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka, Ke-ki and her gang, and Miss Jishi. Please don't use them in any form without my permission.

**To Curtis Zidane Ziraa:** You're right, and, as such, ol' obnoxious Suteki Iyashii will actually be in the end of this chapter and the next doing just that. By the way, thanks a bunch for reviewing. Reviews always make my day.

**To ArtemisObscure:** I know what you mean about Isis/Seto. Ick!

Yea… Ichidou's dad died when she was six years old, and, sadly, she was the person who found him dead. Its angsty, I know… But back to "happier" topics. You're right, Nekura's got major issues. _(laughs)_ Anyway, thanks for reviewing again.

**To silver swan1:** Very true. Ichi really isn't much of anything like Yugi, and as such she's also not quite so happy-go-lucky. Thank you again for the review.

A/N: This chapter features Hilary Duff's song **_"Come Clean."_**

Disclaimer 2: I don't own nor am I making any money from using **_"Come Clean"_** sung by Hilary Duff.

**_Duel Five: Hanrui (Troubles)_**

"Who is that?" asked Yami, gazing down at the motionless corpse. His deep amethyst eyes were wide in mingled astonishment and alarm.

"My Dad," replied Ichidou in the voice of the child she was in the form of.

**_(Let's go back  
Back to the beginning  
Back to when the earth, the sun, the stars all aligned)  
  
_**

Yami looked up, studying little "Ichi" for a moment before turning to the image of Riki and Nekura behind Ichidou. "And them?" he queried softly.

"Riki and Nekura," echoed the enveloping gloom. In the next instant, beside the girl appeared the current day Ichidou, denim skirt, tank top, and all. She looked darker in quintessence somehow though, and the Dark Pharaoh recognized the symptoms instantaneously.

He knew Futokui Yachitose wasn't murdered otherwise the final image imprinted in Ichidou's mind would be covered in blood. _'Is this something I know intuitively or are the Shadows answering my queries?'_ he thought. His pupils dilated once more. He could see the darkness encroaching on the little light emitting from the circular area they stood therein.

**_('Cause perfect didn't feel so perfect  
Trying to fit a square into a circle  
Was no lie  
I defy)_**

"_What happened?_" he gasped, suddenly discarding his usual solemnity with a realization that chilled his soul.

"Nekura nearly killed Riki today," said the older Ichidou. Her eyes were swirls of navy and silver reflected from the diminishing illumination encompassing them.

Beside her the child "Ichi" said dully, her eyes the same dim whirls, "It's happening again."

"_Huh?_" blurted out the elder Ichidou, her eyes enlarging with anxiety. "What's happening again?"

"The light is leaving just like when Daddy died," replied the child in an eerily calm tone.

_**(Let the rain fall down  
And wake my dreams  
Let it wash away  
My sanity)**_

"I – " gasped the other Ichidou a moment prior to being grabbed from behind by two large, snaking tentacles made of pure shadows. They wrapped around the _ti-n'e-ja_, who cried out and gripped the air frantically. The little "Ichi" vanished with a shriek in the same split second.

In a flash, Yami was in front of Ichidou, clutching onto her hands. Somehow they both knew that if he let go Ichidou would be swallowed up in her own darkness, and it would mean the end for both of them. Yami resolved to be the greater of the two "darknesses" and pulled back on her. Ichidou's hands were warm compared with the dead chill of Yami's, and they kept fumbling in the growing night of the room.

"Yami," grunted Ichidou, clenched onto his hand so tightly it throbbed. The tentacles' grips were loosening and with a renewed fortitude, Ichidou kicked them. The darkness receded more, and finally, with a last great tug, Ichidou was free, and the room was suddenly bathed in radiance. Ichidou went crashing into Yami. They both landed sprawled out on their backs.

**_('Cause I wanna feel the thunder  
I wanna scream  
Let the rain fall down)  
_**

Yami sat up gradually, examining his present host critically out of the corner of his eye. Finding little lasting damage, he turned fully to Ichidou, who was looking rather as if she was recovering from a psychosis.

"How? – Was that? – I mean – " began Ichidou, turning to the King of Games.

"It's all right, Ichidou," said Yami evenly.

Ichidou cocked her head slightly in thought before saying, "Hmm. _Arigatou_."

Yami nodded and stood up. He held out his hand for Ichidou who used it to assist her in standing. She smiled sadly at him and followed him into Ichidou's main soul room.

**_(I'm coming clean, I'm coming clean)_**

****

The dark room sealed behind them and Ichidou smiled as she gazed at the familiar cerulean walls. "It's good to be back in here," she muttered.

Yami nodded and turned back to her, an aberrant look on his sharp features.

"I'm fine. _Really I am_," insisted Ichidou at Yami's incredulous look. "All right, all right. Maybe not _entirely_. Atleast I'm not being attacked by a dark blob anymore."

Yami smiled faintly. "That's true enough," he consented.

**_(I'm shedding  
Shedding every color  
Trying to find a pigment of truth  
Beneath my skin)_****_  
_**

"I-I'd like to know more about you and the Millennium Puzzle," whispered Ichidou as Yami turned to go.

Yami turned back and nodded impassively, his mulberry eyes glinting. He sat down, in one graceful motion, onto a chair in front of the wooden desk. Ichidou sat down in an adjacent spot on a blue beanbag in one corner of the room, her legs drawn up to her chest.

Yami noticed with a wave of agitation how her eyes still had the wild appearance of the eyes of a rapid hare being chased by a ravenous predator. He sighed and thought back to the very beginning… He told her all of the Egypt he recalled from the deserts to the Nile River. His tales were interlaced with the priest who was now Seto Kaiba and Duel Monsters. He revealed to her all about the Millennium Items, their capabilities, and their previous holders. He even recounted his escapades with Yugi Mutou, his friends, and family.

"… I've been latent within the Millennium Puzzle for twelve years now," added Yami.

"'Not too bad compared to the first time though, no?" Ichidou asked, grinning.

"Anything compared to several millennia isn't bad at all," agreed Yami.

_**('Cause different  
Doesn't feel so different  
Feel the wind)**_

**__**

"Ichi?" inquired Kyouko as she neared her daughter's room.

"Yeah, '_kaasan_?" Ichidou asked, her attention turning back to her corporeal body and away from her soul room and Yami.

"Are you really okay?" questioned Kyouko.

****

"I'm all right," replied Ichidou cheerfully.

Ichidou's tone puzzled her _okaasan_ for a moment before she nodded and said, "'Ready for dinner?"

"Sure!" said Ichidou, hopping off her bed. The metal frame creaked in protest.

****

**_(Let the rain fall down  
And wake my dreams  
Let it wash away  
My sanity)_**

Inside his partner's soul room, Yami muttered something about "quick changes of mood."

"I'll be down in a minute," Ichidou told her _okaasan_. When Kyouko was a secure distance away, Ichidou reappeared with startling clarity inside her soul room and snapped at Yami, "They're called _mood swings_ nowadays and buzz off."

"A perfect example of my point," mumbled Yami turning to go into his own soul room.

"_What was that?_" Ichidou screeched, bristling. **__**

****

****

****

_**('Cause I wanna feel the thunder  
I wanna scream  
Let the rain fall down  
I'm coming clean, I'm coming clean)**_

Yami didn't even stop, but Ichidou had the distinct feeling he was smirking. "You're teasing me," she accused, frowning.

"Never," said Yami.

_**(I'm coming clean  
Let the rain fall  
Let the rain fall  
I'm coming clean  
Let the rain fall  
Let the rain fall  
I'm coming clean)**_

"You're lying!"

"Hmm."

"Admit it."

"I will do no such thing."

"_Argh! _That's it! I'm leaving!" yelled Ichidou.

"All right."

"_That's it? _Just "All right?"

"Good-bye," said Yami serenely as he went through the doorway.

"Fine!"

"Fine."

"Fi – Oh! Forget it!" And with that said, Ichidou left the soul room as well and bounded downstairs. Her spirits were still a bit lackluster, but she put on a smile for her _okaasan_ as she sat down at the kitchen table.

**_(Let the rain fall down  
And wake my dreams  
Let it wash away  
My sanity)_**

As soon as food was served and Ichidou was about to take a sip of her iced tea, the doorbell chimed. "I'll get it," grumbled the _ti-n'e-ja_, setting her glass down and pushing her chair backwards. She walked out of the kitchen and down the passage to the front door. When she opened the white door, she came upon a short woman with long russet tresses in a brisk business suit. The obsidian fabric glistened in the diminishing light of the sun as twilight approached.

**_('Cause I wanna feel the thunder  
I wanna scream  
Let the rain fall down  
I'm coming clean, _**

**_Let the rain fall  
Let the rain fall)_**

**_  
_**

"_Konnichiha_. Are you Miss Yachitose?"

"_Hai_," replied Ichidou warily. _'There's something odd about this lady,'_ she thought.

"Very good," exclaimed the woman, tightening her grip on her brown briefcase. "My name is Suteki Iyashii. I am here to make a deal with you."

"Which would be?" asked Ichidou.

"I will give you whatever price you desire for that pretty pendant around your neck," Mrs. Iyashii answered.

"Oh," muttered Ichidou, peering down at the Millennium Puzzle resting against her chest. "If that's all you want then _sayonara_."

"But you don't understand, _Itoshigo_," cried out Mrs. Iyashii. "I'm Yugi Mutou's magomusume! I should have the Millennium Puzzle!" (A/N: Itoshigo=beloved dear child, magomusume=granddaughter)

**_(I'm coming clean, I'm coming clean)_**

I'm afraid you are the only person who thinks so. _Sayonara_," said Ichidou, shutting the door in her unwelcome visitor's face with a smirk.

_**(Let's go back  
Back to the beginning)**_

* * *

A/N: Don't think that's the end of Suteki Iyashii's attempts to get the Puzzle. She's a relentless woman. _(sweatdrop)_

A/N 2: I hope you guys like this chapter. The following one will probably feature old and flashback (young) Seto Kaiba. Maybe even Ryou Bakura. I'm not sure yet though. _We shall see…_

A/N 3: Don't forget to review. All reviews are welcome, but flames get doused with fire extinguishers or buckets of water.

Cineris: _(cheep) (coo)_

Iyami: zzzZZZZzzzZzz

Choccy: Bye!


	6. Duel Six: Meeting Anzu

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, and Nekura Kyouran. Please don't use them in any form without my permission. 

To Curtis Zidane Ziraa: By the time you reviewed I had already written a little Mokuba and Seto part for this chapter. ^__^ Its later on in the chapter. Anyhow, thanks again for the review!

**_Duel Six: Meeting Anzu_**

Ichidou was glad she had the pleasure of seeing Mrs. Iyashii's face as she shut the door. It lifted her spirits considerably when she recalled this over the following weeks when she was in a rut. The school term was beginning and, as such, at eleven thirty in the morning in the beginning of September, Ichidou, Riki, and Kuri had lunch together in the school cafeteria. 

Ichidou was teasing Riki about his replies to their history teacher's questions. "Amazing, Riki. I never knew there's such era as the 'unsociable period.' "

"Ehh, heiseijidai, heisa period. They sound the same to me so who cares?" Riki retorted good-naturedly.

"Don't you think it's important that you know the eras?"

"Non," replied Riki.

"You're hopeless," muttered Ichidou, sighing.

During the squabble, Kuri was fidgeting in her seat, occasionally moving her chair causing the metal legs to scrape on the smooth floor. Finally, Ichidou, who had never known her osananajimi to be particularly anxious, turned to her and asked, "What's up with you, Kuri?"

"Oh!" yelped Kuri, as she was jolted out of her reverie. "Sorry, Ichi," she apologized. "'Just daydreaming."

Ichidou nodded, but she still eyed Kuri questioningly. She tugged on the chain of the Millennium Puzzle as she found herself often doing when she was tense or concerned. 

"I gotta go see Mrs. Dangou, ladies. Sayonara," explained Riki as he stood up and straightened his blue school jacket.

"Me too. Sayonara, Ichidou," vociferated Kuri, following Riki.

"Umm… Okay. Bye?" mumbled Ichidou as they left her alone. She grinned as she watched Riki walk away causing a blush to spread across her face. She turned away and thought, _'I can't believe I'm actually thinking about Riki like this.'_

"You'll get used to such thoughts," whispered Yami as he appeared in her soul room. 

Ichidou chuckled and smiled at him roguishly. "So, did you have a crush back in Ancient Egypt… Wait, come to think of it, do you even know what a crush is?"

"I've shared the body of two people now, one of which was once a teenager and you," answered the Pharaoh. "Naturally, I've heard much of such topics."

"But you didn't answer my first question," pried his young aibou.

"I did," said Yami, turning away. There was a finality in his tone so strong Ichidou couldn't have asked anything further even if she had wished to.

************************************************************************

"'Seto, she's back. 'Want me to throw her out?" Mokuba Kaiba asked his oniisan as he stepped into Seto's office. 

Seto Kaiba sighed and assented, "Do as you wish with Mrs. Iyashii, Mokuba." 

He glanced up at Mokuba, who grinned and said, "Perfect."

Seto waited for his ototo to exit before he turned his attention back to the latest Kaiba Corp. virtual reality game design. He soon discovered he couldn't concentrate on the project anymore for the time being and looked up. His gaze met the opposite wall where, to the left of the door, were hung eight picture frames. Three were filled with certificates the company and Seto himself had won while the last quintuplet were photographs. 

One was of a young Mokuba and himself, both of which were standing in front of the tall Kaiba Corporation building with its many glass windows gleaming in the sunlight. Seto's azure trench coat was rippled in certain places and Mokuba's long black hair was blown to his right indicating it had been a blustery day. 

The photo to the right of it was of ten young adults. They all were Yugi and Anzu Mutou, Jounouchi and Mai Katsuya, Honda and Shizuka Hiroto, Ryou Bakura, Otogi Ryouji, and Seto and Mokuba Kaiba. It was obvious Seto was mocking Jou who was being held back by Shizuka and Mai while the others chuckled. The Millennium Puzzle glinted in the sunlight from its position resting on Yugi's chest. It was a strange thing indeed to think of the ancient treasure with anyone but Yugi. _'But it is,' _Seto reminded himself_. 'Its with some teenage girl.'_

He glanced at the picture directly underneath the other two to see a child-version of Mokuba grinning back at him. He was bundled up in a blue and gray scarf, and his long hair was plastered with snow. 

The snapshot to its left was one of a young adult Mokuba and his wife, a pretty young woman adorned in a shimmering pure white wedding dress. Mokuba was wearing a crisp tuxedo and smirking, his lengthy hair tied back. His new wife, Amai,had long auburn curls that had been piled up on top of her head beneath a white veil. Nowadays, Amai was commonly found in the office she shared with her goshujin, her hair long turned white with age and her face worn. Mokuba and her grown jison were frequent visitors at Kaiba Corp. One of her son's, whose name was Odayaka, actually worked at the company and, as such, was seen the most often. 

To the right of the picture of the newly weds was actually a photo of Mokuba, Amai, Odayaka and his three younger kyoudai, their "Uncle Seto," Odayaka's wife, Mokuba and Amai's four grandchildren, and one very young great-grandson of Mokuba and Amai's. Most of them had either brown or black hair except Odayaka who had his mother's red curls. All of them were posing in Odayaka and his wife's cozy living room.

Seto couldn't help but smile for a moment before he was thrusted back into the present by the sounds of hollering. He immediately recognized Mokuba, Mrs. Iyashii, and, his secretary, Miss Jishi's voices. 

"Ma'am, you can't go in there!" shouted Miss Jishi.

"_Suteki, get out!_" Mokuba hollered.

"I have to talk to him! _This is the fate of the world we're talking about here!_" screamed Mrs. Iyashii. 

Seto sighed and went over to his office door. He opened it and said evenly, "If you're through with your mindless jabbering, Mrs. Iyashii, you can take your leave _now_."

"_You don't understand!_" shrieked Mrs. Iyashii as Mokuba shoved her roughly towards the elevator. 

"Sir, I believe Mr. Kaiba will need assistance in removing Mrs. Iyashii from the premises," said Miss Jishi, brushing back a flaxen lock of hair as she addressed Seto. 

Seto nodded, turning back to his office. "Call security. Tell them Suteki Iyashii is never allowed inside Kaiba Corp. ever again," he explained, shutting the door behind him.

"Yes, Sir," agreed the young secretary as she picked up the cream-colored telephone lying on her desk.

************************************************************************

Ichidou was sitting at the wooden kitchen table doing her mathematics homework that evening when the telephone rang. _Baaaaaling! Ling! Ling! Baaaaaling! Ling! Ling!_ She pushed off from the table and went over to the phone that was hanging next to the backdoor. She lifted it off its cradle and said, "Moshimoshi?" 

"Is Ichidou Yachitose there?" asked an elderly female voice. 

"That's me."

"Ahh. Hey, my name is Anzu Mutou and I was wondering if you and Yami would like to meet me to talk about the Millennium Puzzle," admitted the woman bluntly.

Ichidou could "feel" Yami stir within his soul room at the mention of Anzu and himself. "Should we?" she asked the Pharaoh through their private link.

"Yes. She is Yugi's wife and a friend of mine," replied Yami, not even bothering to open his violet eyes as he leaned against the wall Ichidou found him most often resting against.

"Alright," Ichidou replied out loud to Anzu. "Where should we meet you?"

"Do you know where Taishita Café is?" Anzu queried.

"Yea. The new one in Tokyo, right?" 

"Exactly. Can you be there at one thirty tomorrow?" questioned Anzu.

"Sure," Ichidou answered, snatching a piece of scratch paper off the kitchen counter and scribbling some notes. 

"Great. See you then!" 

"Sayonara," and with that said both of them hung up.

"Yami?" Ichidou asked, appearing at the metal door before the King of Games' soul room. _'Its more like a soul chamber or dungeon,'_ she corrected herself as she pushed open the door to see levels upon levels of stone corridors, antechambers, and trapdoors. 

Yami was sitting against the wall to her left, bathed in darkness. The only light came from his eerily bright amethyst eyes, which were now open and gazing at her steadily. When Ichidou entered the chamber it was suddenly immersed in light causing her to squint. When her eyes were properly adjusted she stepped over to her aibou and asked, "Yami, what's Anzu like?"

It was a few moments before Yami replied simply, "She's absolutely pure of heart, loves to dance, and is a somewhat good duelist."

"That doesn't tell me much, but alright," said Ichidou as she plopped down next to him and rested her back against the wall. "Cou-Could you teach me Duel Monsters? I mean, I'm all right, but you and Yugi were like the best duelists, right?" stammered Ichidou.

"If you wish such," Yami whispered.

He was even more subdued than was the norm. "Is something wrong?" she inquired worriedly, her face scrunched up in trepidation. The connection between them was radiating an emotion too close to despair for her peace of mind to be at ease. 

"No," answered Yami. "I'm just…_remembering_."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a several minutes before Ichidou could take the stifling flavor of it no more. "Was that woman who came here awhile ago really Anzu and Yugi's granddaughter?" she asked, trying desperately to start up a conversation.

"Yes," was her only answer.

Ichidou sighed and hung her head. _'Ever the King of Concealment,' _she mused. _'Or atleast the King of Monosyllables.'_

Yami could "sense" his partner's dejected state and his frown deepened. He remained silent though and eventually Ichidou left.

************************************************************************

It was Saturday and at one o'clock Ichidou took a bus to Taishita Café, a little snack bar in Tokyo. Once inside, with Yami's help, she spotted Anzu Mutou, a wrinkled woman with wisps of gray hair framing her face. Her long legs were crossed and one hand rested on her smooth navy skirt as her other hand lay on the speckled tabletop. 

"Ma'am?" inquired Ichidou hovering nervously next to the table.

"Ooi! You must be Ichidou," exclaimed Anzu, grinning. "I'm Anzu Mutou."

"Hajimemashite,*" said Ichidou, sitting down in an intricately backed chair opposite Anzu. (A/N: Hajimemashite=How do you do? or Nice to meet you*) 

"Ah. It's nice to meet you as well. I've been longing to meet you and to talk with Yami. May I speak with him for a moment?" inquired Anzu, eyeing the Millennium Puzzle.

"Al-Alright," consented Ichidou. Warily Ichidou shifted into her own soul room as Yami acquired control over her body. From the outside the only notable difference to Anzu, as the Pharaoh took over Ichidou, was Ichidou's brown hair, which was now streaked with blonde and her green eyes, which had become a prominent purple. 

Another alteration was noticed when Yami began to talk through Ichidou's body. Ichidou's voice was definitely deeper. "How are you, Anzu?" he asked.

"I'm great, Yami. How've you been? Is it a big change being with someone else?" said Anzu.

"It is."

"I'm sure. I mean, now you share a teenage girl's body," laughed Anzu. 

Inside, Ichidou blushed right up to her hair and muttered an expletive as Yami nodded. 

"I must tell you, part of why I decided to meet you was because of my magomusume, Suteki," continued Anzu. "You see, she wants quite desperately to acquire the Millennium Items. She's been pestering Seto for years until he gave the Puzzle to Ichidou and now I'm positive she'll be on her tail."

"Wait a minute!" interrupted Ichidou, regaining control of her body in one strong motion. She leaned forward, her hair now returned to it norm and asked, "She already came to my house a few weeks ago!"

Anzu's eyes widened and she queried, "Nani?!"

"She tried to pay me off for the Puzzle," explained Ichidou.

"_Oh great…_" Anzu mumbled sardonically.

Yami, who had been thrusted back into his soul room so forcefully that he had fallen onto his rear, now got back to his feet and disappeared in a flash. He rematerialized in Ichidou's soul room and gave her a faint glower at her treatment of him.

"Oh, er. Sorry, Yami," apologized Ichidou within the room. Outside, she said to Anzu, "So she's persistent, huh?"

Anzu nodded and sighed. She placed her head on her hand, her elbow bent and resting on the tabletop. "'Always has been. 'Worse since she's been married though."

"Well, she's not getting the Puzzle!" said Ichidou with conviction. 

Anzu chortled and smiled. "'Good to hear just don't let anyone but your most trusted relatives and friends even touch it. Yugi learned that the hard way."

"Alright," replied Ichidou.

In a flash of light, her hair was highlighted in gold and Yami was back. "Don't worry, Anzu," he said.

Anzu's grin widened and she said, "'Just be careful, 'kay?"

"We will do," said Ichidou, repossessing her body with a smirk.

Anzu chuckled  and commented, "Already got the mind shuffle down to a tee I see." 

Yami smiled and his aibou mirrored it with an ease that was almost alarming to Anzu and quite frankly unnerving to the King of Games.

************************************************************************

A/N: Sorry this took so long, but I'm

A) LAZY!!! And…

B) I've been having too much fun reading other people's fanfics I've neglected my own again. -__-

Iyami: Teinousha.

Choccy: =P

A/N: Here are all the translations for this chapter:

Heiseijidai=Heisei period (1989-) (Choccy: As some of you may know, in Japan years are classified by what emperor was ruling at each era in time. Currently, we're in the Heiseijidai, or Heisei period. Because my fanfic takes place in the future, they're in a different era and therefore are learning about previous ones. ^_^)

Heisa=closing, closure, shutdown, lockout, unsociable

Non=no

Osananajimi=childhood friend

Oniisan=older brother

Goshujin=husband

Jison=children and grandchildren

Kodomotachi=children

Kyoudai=siblings

Moshimoshi=hello (on phone)

Taishita=considerable, great, important

Name Translations:

Dangou=consultation 

Amai=generous, indulgent, easy-going, sweet, fond of

Odayaka=calm, gentle, quiet

A/N 3: Please, please, review! ^_____^ Arigatou.

Iyami: *yawn*

Choccy: *pout*

Iyami: *snort* -__-;;

Choccy: Ehem. -_- As I was saying, sayonara!


	7. Duel Seven: Mysteries & Mock Duels

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, and Nekura Kyouran. Please don't use them in any form without my permission. 

To silver swan1: Not exactly my strong point if my predictions are correct, but yes, there will by future dueling scenes. I tried to give a little foreshadowing with Ichidou and Yami little conversation about him teaching her if she wanted in the last chapter. By the way, I'm so glad you liked chapter six. ^__^ 

A/N: Is it just me or is this story getting nowhere fast? *laughs* Either way, I'm definitely going to start including dueling scenes, confrontations among the trio, and more of how Yami and Ichidou are gradually strengthening the link connecting them as yami and host. As for my yami and me *sighs* that's another thing altogether.

Iyami: Naturally. Why would I willingly strength a link with you?

Choccy: =P Just remember, unlike a certain white-haired guy and his yami, I have control over you instead of the other way 'round.

Iyami: *shuffles away mumbling and giving Choc dark looks*

Choccy: Anyway, as I was saying, this story will be taking a more energized pace from now on otherwise it'll never end and, as much as I don't mind that, it needs some kind of closure after awhile. 

A/N 2: Since I'm not a terribly good duelist I had to do loads of research to make sure I didn't break any rules in this chapter's duel. Of course, I still could've knowing me, so if I did let me know. As for the cards themselves, I tried to use the Japanese names of the cards but if I didn't on some let me know about that too. Anyhow, here's chapter seven…

**_Duel Seven: Mysteries & Mock Duels _**

Over the next few days Ichidou did not even register the fact that both her best friends were acting differently. Instead, she was caught quite firmly between protecting the Millennium Puzzle and hanging out with Riki. Sometimes Kuri would come with them and they would go to the movies or the mall, but most of the time, or what Ichidou thought was such, Riki was with her. 

As for Yami, he would alternate between lounging in one place for days to pacing the volumes of rooms in his soul chamber restlessly. Once every other day for a couple of hours he would sit with Ichidou in her cozy little soul room, assisting her in sorting through her collection of Duel Monsters cards. He would comment on any card he thought it would help to acquire, his tone mild and soothing. Ichidou was calm and serious while she listened, querying every now and then about what purpose a new card could achieve. 

On the third day of their doing such, Yami suggested that they have a mock duel. Dividing the cards between them, Ichidou smirked at him in challenge. Both of them shuffled their halves of the deck and then each others. When that was done they each drew six cards and analyzed them. Ichidou went first, placing _The Illusionary Gentleman_ card in attack mode on the field and setting another card facedown. Since she had gone first, she couldn't strike, so it was Yami's turn.

After a moment he said, "I'll place _Marie the Fallen One_ in defense mode and place this card facedown." 

Ichidou studied her opponent's winged creature, _Marie the Fallen One_, attempting to recall what its effect was. She had an inkling it had something to do with Yami's Life Points. She shrugged and drew a card. _'Hmm,'_ she thought. _'**Newdoria**.' Perfect… When its sent to the Graveyard I can select any monster on the field and destroy it.'_ "I'll place this card facedown and end my turn," said Ichidou.

"Being cautious I see," whispered Yami, drawing a card. Ichidou gave him a cocky smile. "Go, _Black Magician Girl_, in attack mode," he commanded after a brief pause. The monster appeared in the next instant, tall in pink and blue, her staff poised, ready to strike. "_Black Magician Girl_, attack _The Illusionary Gentleman_!" yelled Yami.

"I activate _Magic Cylinder_!" Ichidou yelped. The _Black Magician Girl's _attack was negated and Ichidou chuckled as the value of _Black Magician Girl's _attack points were subtracted from Yami's Life Points. 

 "Your turn," Yami said evenly.

Ichidou drew a card and positioned _Melkid the Four-Faced Beast _in attack mode. "_Melkid_ attack _Marie the Fallen One_!" she called out. With _Marie the Fallen One _in defense mode no points were deducted from Yami's Life Points as she was destroyed. The Pharaoh himself looked unflustered at the fact that half his Life Points had gone with Ichidou's use of _Magic Cylinder_ as he drew a card.

Ichidou's eyes widened as his Life Points increased by two hundred. "_Nani?!_" she gasped.

"As long as_ Marie the Fallen One's _in my Graveyard I'll gain two hundred Life Points every turn," explained Yami as he placed _The Earl of Demise_ on the field in attack mode.

"Damn," muttered Ichidou. 

"Now, _Earl of Demise _attack_ Melkid the Four-Faced Beast_!" shouted Yami. 

Ichidou frowned as five hundred Life Points were subtracted from her_. 'So Yami has two thousand and I have three thousand five hundred left,' _she thought. She suddenly realized something, _'I know what I need to turn this around!'_ She drew a card, hoping fiercely for to extract the card she wanted. She drew Jar of Greed and smirked. _'Let's try again,' _she said, using the card's effect to allow her to draw another card. 

She slapped _Change of Heart_ onto the field. "I'll use _Change of Heart _to take control of the_ Black Magician Girl_!" The enchantress's eyes turned blank and she switched sides. "_Black Magician Girl, _attack_ the Earl of Demise_!" Ichidou grinned and said, "Both have equal attack points so they're both destroyed, a fact that I can't say I mind considering neither monster was mine."

"Hmm," Yami mumbled, drawing a card. He smirked as two hundred points were added since Marie the Fallen One was still in his Graveyard and yelled, "Go _Black Magician_, attack _The Illusionary Gentleman_!"

Ichidou grunted as _The Illusionary Gentleman_ vanished and five hundred of her Life Points were deducted. _'Grrrr, all I have left is Newdoria…' _she realized.She drew_ Worm Drake, _a gruesome green beast with an eye in its month. _'Here goes nothing.'_ She placed the card in defense mode on the field and ended her turn.

Two hundred Life Points were added after Yami drew a card. "I'll put _Luster Dragon_ in attack mode! _Luster Dragon_, attack the facedown card!" The bluish green reptile struck Ichidou's _Newdoria_, who vanished in a mini flare of radiance.

"I'll use _Newdoria's _special effect to destroy your _Black Magician_!" screamed Ichidou. 

Yami eyed her impassively and said, "Your turn again."

"Alright," said Ichidou as she drew a card from her half of the deck. "I'll play _The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams_ in defense mode," she added.

Yami's Life Points increased again. "I'll activate my facedown card, the _Book of Taiyou_!" he exclaimed. "It'll switch your _Ghost_ from defense to attack mode."

Ichidou frowned as her monster did as he said.

"_Luster Dragon_, attack _The Gross Ghost_!" yelled the King of Games.

As _The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams _was obliterated, Ichidou lost eleven hundred Life Points to her chagrin. _'I don't have any cards on the field,'_ she grumbled. She drew _Monster Reborn_ and her frown switched into a smirk. "Time to revive _Black Magician Girl_ with Monster Reborn!" In a flash of illumination the _Black Magician Girl_ had returned. "She gets a three hundred point bonus for each _Black Magician_ in the Graveyard so now she's got two thousand three hundred attack points," said Ichidou merrily.

"It's a pity it isn't enough to beat my _Luster Dragon_," Yami remarked wryly.

"_Ack!_ No! I didn't think!" Ichidou gasped.

"And you summoned her in attack mode and you can't change that until your next turn, but, unfortunately, it'll be too late by then," continued Yami, drawing a card and receiving his two hundred Life Points bonus. 

"I'm such a moron! _Argh!_ What an amateur mistake!" Ichidou said despairingly.

"Now I'll use the _Bottomless Trap Hole_ to destroy the _Black Magician Girl_," said the Pharaoh, placing down the card he had drawn, "and attack with my _Luster Dragon_!" 

With nothing to guard her Life Points, Ichidou's remaining one thousand nine hundred diminished to zero, ending the game. Ichidou sighed dejectedly and muttered, "You still had three thousand Life Points. I so suck at this."

"It wasn't that terrible," claimed Yami, walking over to his aibou. "It would be easier if you remembered what your own card's effects were, like with _Marie the Fallen One_, and usually you will have a full deck. But, otherwise you did fine. You just need practice."

"I suppose so," Ichidou murmured as Yami returned her cards.

************************************************************************

Over the following week, Yami and Ichidou had several pseudo duels. All of which, Ichidou lost. _'Atleast,'_ she mushed at one point, _'I'm losing by less than I used to. 'Only a thousand points.'_

She was gradually assembling the courage to ask Riki to go to the school masquerade party with her. Riki, Kuri, and Ichidou had always met each other there, but never as dates. One day Ichidou questioned as casually as she could, "You goin' to the party, Riki?" 

"Yea," was her reply.

"What are ya dressing up as this year?"

"'Pirate, mate."

"Oh. Okay. Cool. I'm gonna be Cleopatra," said Ichidou, thinking of her inspiration, the King of Games himself. 

"Nice," said Kuri, sitting at the lunch table with a brown paper bag with red stars doodled on it. "I'm gonna be a vamp," she added as she took a banana sandwich out of her sack. 

"Awesome," said Ichidou, grinning. The moment to talk to Riki about going with her to the party was gone so she moved onto another topic of conversation. 

************************************************************************

"I'm such a coward," Ichidou grunted the night of the masquerade bash as she stood before the mirror above her dresser, gazing at the costume she was adorned in. "I should've asked Riki and now look. The party starts in a half an hour and here I am dateless as usual."

Her outfit was a long white dress with long flowing sleeves and a sort of thin, blue see-through vest that was tucked into a belt of the same material around her waist. In the center of the belt was a golden scarab and encircling her neck was a thick collar with rows of circular and diamond shaped jewels of crimson, azure, and jade. 

She had outlined her eyes in thick, black eyeliner and painted her lips a deep ruby with a heavy layer of rouge. Her feet were encased in golden sandals and her brunette tresses had been placed in braids to make them wavy and stiff. Now the braids were gone causing her thick hair to form a curvy triangle around her face. Encircling her skull was an aureate headband with a golden snake extended from its center with emerald green eyes. 

She couldn't help but grin notwithstanding her earlier statement. She felt like Cleopatra even if she didn't truly look like the Egyptian queen. _'Maybe next year I'll ask Riki, or some other hot guy perhaps, to go with me?' _she thought. She turned around and went over to her bed where she had set the Millennium Puzzle. Anzu's comment to Yami of "…now you share a teenage girl's body" had unnerved her and as such now when she slept and when she dressed she took off the Puzzle and made sure it was far away. On the first night she had tried this by simply resting the Puzzle beside her bed only to discover that half the link between herself and Yami could still click into place from that distance.

Ichidou placed the Puzzle around her neck. _'After all, it is a real Egyptian artifact and I'm pretending to be Cleopatra so it fits perfectly,'_ she thought. 

"Hey, Yami?" she asked her aibou, appearing before the Pharaoh's soul room door, but still standing by her bed in veracity. 

"Yes, Ichidou?" Yami inquired, as the door opened before Ichidou to reveal the King of Games standing in the darkness. 

"Remember that party I told you about?" said Ichidou. "Well, I'm goin' there now. I'll take you with if you want."

"Very well. I would like that," Yami said neutrally.

Ichidou nodded and shut the door. _'Party time,'_ she thought, smirking.

************************************************************************

A/N: If you're wondering, Ichidou's attire is based on my own Halloween costume. ^__^ 

Iyami: I highly doubt they were.

Choccy: You're no fun.

Iyami: -__-

A/N 2: Once again, I had to do loads of research to do that little duel scene in this chapter. But if I did anything wrong please let me know. I've compiled Ichidou's entire deck in my notes, which I had to look at frequently. 

A/N 3: Here's a little note on what the next chapter features:

Ichidou's arrives at the masquerade party only to find her crush with…someone else. Distraught, but trying to keep cool, Ichidou is already weary when she bumps into Mrs. Suteki Iyashii…

A/N 4: Now, see that little button towards the bottom of the page? Click on it and review! ^__^ Please? ^_^_^_^_^

Cineris: *chir-urp!*

Iyami: *mumbling something like "What am I? Flypaper for freaks!?"*

Choccy: *dark glare* Very funny, Iyami. ^_______^ Bye! 


	8. Duel Eight: Stuck Somewhere Between a Li...

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, and Nekura Kyouran. Please don't use them in any form without my permission. 

To Artemis*Obscure: My reply to your review is in the e-mail I sent you, but thanks once again for reviewing!*laughs*

To Peter Kim: Who possesses the god cards? That's a good question… Hmmm…

Iyami: She doesn't know. 

Choccy: Sure I do. I just haven't thought of this before now though I certainly should've. *bonks her own head* Either way I won't be telling for awhile… Thanks a lot for reviewing!

To Curtis Zidane Ziraa: Yea, Mokuba's cool (though it seems he gets kidnapped far too often *laughs*). Sorry for the wait and thanks again for the review! 

A/N: Sorry, folks, I would've updated sooner but it's been hectic with the holidays and my 14th birthday, which is today (Dec. 30th, 2003) by the way! Wahoo! *laughs* I also seem to have lost my muse, Cineris the baby phoenix. Cineris! Rissy!

Iyami: *sigh* This could take awhile… You'd lose your head if it weren't attached!

Choccy: No comment! -__- _Rissy, where are you!_ (By the way, guys, sorry if this chapter sounds awfully strained, after all I'm muse-less at the moment.)

Iyami: Regretfully, you still have me.

Choccy: You're no help. *sigh* -_-;; _Rissy!_

**_Duel Eight: Stuck Somewhere Between a Lie & a Truth_**

Ichidou hopped out of her mother's car as they arrived at the entrance to her high school and said, "Thanks, 'Kaasan!"

"Alright," called Kyouko. "See you at nine thirty, right?"

"Hai! Sayonara!" Ichidou yelled and she padded towards the doorway in her golden sandals. Her okaasan waved and drove off as Ichidou greeted some of her costumed friends. Riki and Kuri were nowhere to be found yet and all around her were students in all sorts of outfits from monsters to princesses. A few of her teachers were in costume and the art teacher, who was adorned in enough make-up to cover all the partygoers' faces, wore the most extravagant attire of them all. She was covered head to toe in purple paint with a purple, yellow-dotted dress. 

Ichidou's eyebrows went up at the sight and she asked Yami inwardly, "That's scary, ne?"

"Yes, but is it unexpected?" Yami inquired.

"Not with this woman," Ichidou admitted. "_Oh!_ There's Riki… and Kuri…"

"Ooi! Ichi!" called Riki. He was decked in a pirate costume complete with a red bandana, a fake beard, and a loose black shirt. 

Beside him, a hesitant air to her face, was Kuri all in black leather with blood red lips and an ebony, crimson-streaked wig. She looked thinner than usual in her attire to say the least, which was fine with Ichidou. What wasn't settling so well with her was the sneaking suspicion they were dating and had neglected to tell her. It was apparent to her in the way they stood next to each other, Kuri's slight discomfort, and the poorly disguised flush on Riki's cheeks.

"What's up, guys?" queried Ichidou, biting her lip. Inside, she was clenching her fists in anticipation of what she knew would come. 

"Well, ya see, Ichidou…" Riki trailed off.

"You and Kuri are an item?" suggested Ichidou gently, a concealed flicker of hope in her eyes.

Riki appeared shocked but Kuri said, "I thought you would figure it out." She then smiled genuinely and anything Ichidou could've said against their relationship died. 

Ichidou grinned back weakly and replied, "You make it pretty obvious, guys. 'Always together. 'Obviously came _here_ together. It was easy to figure out. Besides, sooner or later the great grapevine that makes up the communication in our school makes it hard to hide stuff like that."

Riki nodded, smiled, and added, "You have a point, Ichi."

Ichidou beamed back at him, but inwardly she winced. 

"Riki," said Kuri, "I want to talk to Ichidou alone for a moment, 'kay?"

"Yoshi," replied Riki, walking over to the coke machine where other guys were hanging out. 

"Daijoubu ka?*" Kuri whispered to Ichidou. (A/N: I'm fairly sure Daijoubu ka=Are you all right? or all right?)

"Un*," Ichidou replied as evenly as she could muster. (A/N: Un=yeah or uh huh.)

"You didn't-I-You had a crush on Riki!" gasped Kuri.

Ichidou backpedaled a bit at the sudden accusation. She knew Kuri wasn't angry, but it still made her feel culpable. "Answer me!" Kuri pleaded.

"I-well-I-oh gomen, Kuri!" Ichidou cried out. "You know how it is! After Ryougi I guess I started to see Riki differently! It doesn't mean anything though!" she added hurriedly.

"But, Ichidou, if you want I'll-" began Kuri.

"Non!" yelped Ichidou, putting up her hands. "It's alright! I'll be fine! I swear! Besides, you have gotta tell me how you guys got together!" she continued, grinning.

"Well, you see," said Kuri, laughing. "It was the first day of school that I realized it so after that I just sort of started to hang out with him a lot more and two weeks ago he asked me out as his girlfriend!"

"_Two weeks?!_" Ichidou yelled in a tone of mock-hurt. 

"Yea, we decided tonight we would finally let everyone know," Kuri admitted. "You're not mad?"

"Nah, you guys will always be my best furenzu," said Ichidou. 

"Arigatou, Ichi," Kuri exclaimed.

************************************************************************

Weary of watching Kuri and Riki throw each other fond glances, Ichidou sat in Kyouko's automobile on the way home after the party. Yami had said little during the entire event and now declared in a firm monotone, "You lied to them."

"_Nani?!_" Ichidou asked the Pharaoh, startled. She was now sitting in the front passenger seat of the car and standing in Yami's soul chamber at the same time. Yami was standing before her, his violet eyes dark with a troubled expression on his face.

"You lied to Kurisutaru and Nenriki," reiterated Yami.

"What do you mean?! I didn't-"

"You told them you were all right with their…_relationship_ and that's not true," Yami continued. 

"Sure it is!" Ichidou snapped.

"It isn't."

"How would you know?!"

"I can tell."

"_Oh yea?! How?!_" 

"By our link. It tells me your emotions."

"_Humph_," grumbled the ti-n'e-ja, turning away. "I'm too tired to deal with this right now."

But Yami, ever inexorable, said, "You're lying again."

"**_That's it!_**" shrieked Ichidou, twisting back towards him, her face livid. "_Just shut up! I can't take this right now!_" On the outside her face had gone ruby-red and it took all her strength not to scream aloud. As it was, she was biting her lip and clenching her fists. She took a deep breath and told Yami, "Fine. I lied, okay? Happy?"

Yami smirked, nonchalant and enigmatic. "Perfectly," he replied. "Now, tell me, can you tell what I'm feeling from our connection?"

Ichidou shut her eyes for a moment, searching, and reaching out with her mind. Yami shivered; it felt like the softest brush of a cool wind as their bond strengthened for a moment as Ichidou drew information from it. Then the girl's emerald eyes flew open and she stated, "Oh! I've noticed this before. By the way, right now you're feeling a bit put-upon, but otherwise you feel all right."

Yami seemed to think about this for a moment, cocking his head upwards before turning back to her and nodding. "I suppose that's correct. Now, I believe we have reached your home."

Ichidou blinked and the double settings morphed to one so that she was only in the vehicle. She peered outside to see her little cream-colored house come into view. "I picked up some ice cream while you were at the party. Want some?" asked Kyouko as they pulled into the driveway. 

"Ah. What kind?" Ichidou queried as they both exited the car.

"Mint chocolate chip," replied her okaasan while they entered their small abode.

"Cool.. Yoshi!" Ichidou exclaimed, grinning. 

"It'll be ready after I'm done reading this morning's paper," Kyouko said as she went into the kitchen and Ichidou descended up the stairs. When she reached the top she turned right and went into the bathroom. She grabbed a navy washcloth and turned the facet on, letting the cool water soak into the material. Then she went about the task of washing off her make-up. The thick eyeliner bled as she scrubbed and her lips gradually returned to their normal pale pink. 

When she was done, Ichidou went into her bedroom and placed the Millennium Puzzle onto her bed while she slipped on soft, sky blue pajama bottoms and a matching tank top. She grabbed the Puzzle and pulled it over her neck as she left the room. She slipped back down the stairs just as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Ichidou called as she turned towards the front door. Opening it, she asked, "Konnichiha?" She nearly slammed it as she realized who was at the door. "_You?!_ If this is another attempt to get me to give you the Puzzle then go away!" Ichidou shouted.

"Konnichiha to you too," stated Mrs. Iyashii, standing on the doormat in her usual suit. "Come now, why do you need the Puzzle? It's useless to you." 

"You'd be surprised what a sixteen-year-old can do with a mystical object. Don't you watch movies?" questioned Ichidou, smirking cockily despite her reoccurring foul mood.  

"You don't get it," yelled Mrs. Iyashii. "The Puzzle is very special and this isn't some kind of dreamed up fantasy. This is real and it's dangerous in the wrong hands!"

"And you're saying I'm the wrong hands?" asked Ichidou, her voice low and venomous.

The Puzzle let out a spark of light as Ichidou's eyes changed to amethyst and her locks became blonde-streaked. "Why don't you let me be the judge of who I believe to be my proper host?" asked Yami, his tone as deadly as that of his aibou. 

"Ahh, Pharaoh Yami, this is a surprise and here I thought this girl had trapped you in her greedy grasp," Mrs. Iyashii stated. 

"That is enough from you about my host, Suteki," said Yami, his eyes flashing. 

In her soul room, Ichidou cheered and, switching places with Yami, stuck out her tongue at Mrs. Iyashii. Then she asked their guest, "Well, I guess you have no other reason to be here then."

"Wait!" huffed Mrs. Iyashii, stopping Ichidou from shutting the door. 

"Ichidou?!" called Kyouko from the kitchen. "Whose at the door?"

"Just a friend, 'Kaasan! I left something at the party!" lied Ichidou. She turned back to Mrs. Iyashii rancorously. "Oyasuminasai, Mrs. Iyashii," she said as she shut the door.

"_Non! Wait!_" yelped the toshima* as the ti-n'e-ja closed the door in her face. (A/N: toshima=mature woman, middle-aged woman)

Ichidou walked away, her previous bad frame of mind gone as she chuckled and smirked. Yami, shook his head slightly and sighed. He had defended his vessel, but that by no means meant Mrs. Iyashii would cease her hunt for the Millennium Puzzle. _'If anything,'_ thought the Pharaoh, _'it'll make her more determined.'_ He told Ichidou nothing of this though, preferring to keep her in a good mood for as long possible. 

_It was, he reasoned later, not a good idea._

In the meantime, they both had more pressing matters at hand. Kyouko was standing in the hallway a half-baffled, half-amazed look on her face. "Ichi, why does that woman want your necklace?" Ichidou's okaasan inquired, crossing her arms, to Yami and Ichidou's horror.

************************************************************************

A/N: Sorry 'bout the cliffhanger, guys! *gets whacked with various heavy objects* @_@ 

A/N 2: Oft! That hurt!

Iyami: Maybe you should stop it with these cliffhangers then…

Choccy: No way! ^_^ *still searching for her muse* Rissy! Where are you, Cineris?! Oh come on, it's my birthday! _How can I not be inspired and lose a muse on today of all days?!_

Iyami: *sigh* Here are this chapter's Japanese translations not stated within:

Yoshi= all right!, OK!

Furenzu=friends

Oyasuminasai=good night

A/N 3: Please review! Bye! ^__^ Cineris, where are you?!

Iyami: -_-;;


	9. Duel Nine: A Longago Romance…

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, and Nekura Kyouran. I also own Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To Artemis*Obscure: Thanks for the happy birthday declaration. ^__^ You're right, the art teacher does sound pretty cool. *laughs* In addition, I've been planning two things since before I started writing this fanfic:

1. That Riki and Kuri would get together to Ichidou's initial dismay and…

2. That this would end up being a Yami/Ichidou story. 

So consider your wish for this to be Yami/Ichidou already granted. ^_- 

A/N 1: Okay, for this chapter I was definitely not muse-less by the end. I mean, I was seriously on a roll. It took quite a bit of research on the pharaohs' consorts of Ancient Egypt, royal harems, and I even had to do extensive research on confirming what I was fairly sure was Yami and his father's real names. I was right about Yami, but I'm still not so sure about his dad's name's spelling. Either way if you don't want to find out what it really is then I'm sorry, but it's one big spoiler. I use Yami's name a few times towards the end of this chapter and will use it quite a few times next chapter as well. If you doubt if it's right many people have confirmed the name before me. I'll talk more about it in my author notes at the end of the chapter. Here's chapter 9!

**_Duel Nine: A Long-ago Romance…_**

"That could've gone better," Ichidou mused as she lay on her bed an hour later. Her aibou and her were both conversing in Yami's soul room, sitting against the cold stone wall. 

"It certainly could have," grumbled Yami. 

"Daijoubu ka?" Ichidou queried. "You look a little worse for wear."

She received a dark look in response to which Ichidou said, "Oh come on! Atleast she didn't freak _too much_! She only made me promise to go talk to that Seto Kaiba guy and get everything he knew about you."

"And she hollered at me for possessing you before that," added Yami wryly.

"Oh yea," admitted Ichidou. "Well, that was when she thought you were the akuma*or something." (A/N: akuma=devil, demon, Satan, fiend, evil spirit)

"Should we go see Seto Kaiba tomorrow?" queried Ichidou after a prolonged silence.

"If you wish such," Yami replied.

"Why do you always say that?"

"Because, in essence, you hold my purpose and existence in your hands," answered the Pharaoh.

"You don't need to say, "If you wish such" all the time though!" Ichidou shouted.

 "If you wish such," stated Yami evenly.

Ichidou mock-growled, trying not to grin, and ruffled up his hair. Ichidou beamed impishly then, and said, "Oyasuminasai, Yami!" She vanished from his chamber as Yami shook his head, brushing a hand through his hair. He stood up in one lithe motion; his frame was wiry, but he was far from being as small and flimsy as his present and former hosts' bodies were. 

Ichidou, he had realized, was only a head taller than Yugi had been at her age, and while they both had their meek moments, were quite ready to stand up to what they believed was just if pushed hard enough. _'Now,'_ Yami thought, _'If only I can induce Ichidou to stand up to Ke-ki and her group.'_ Unlike Yugi, Ichidou fought against Yami's impelling at all possible instances. Yami had forgotten how resolute a ti-n'e-ja could be, his own days where so long past that he only recalled fleeting memories that vanished as subtly as if he were trying to hold a pound of desert sand in his hands. They would simply fall through his fingers the moment he attempted to grasp them. 

By then, his cogitations had led him down a dim hallway in his soul room. All the passages were shadowy when Ichidou, his hikari, was not within the chamber as well, but somehow this walkway felt…_darker_. His eyes quickly adjusted to the sudden, infinite blackness, and he strolled down the hallway with his usual poise. At the end of the passageway was a tall metal door with an Egyptian hieroglyph on it; _the Eye of Horus, or the udjat._ Frowning as little flecks of reminiscence ran across his vision, Yami touched the cool metal with his palm. 

He could vaguely tell Ichidou, who had been nearly asleep, was now stirring at his movement and anxious thoughts. She yawned and grabbed the Puzzle from where it lay beside her bed. She pulled it over her head and appeared at his side in the next instant, still adorned in her blue pajamas. If he had been a younger incorporeal spirit, he would have been startled at her sudden appearance, but he certainly wasn't so he simply acknowledged her presence with a nod her way. The rest of the chamber had obviously been bathed in light at her materialization in there, but the passage they were in was still dark. 

"Yami…?" Ichidou whispered, grasping her own bare upper arms to keep warm in the strangely drafty catacomb.

Cautiously pushing open the door, Yami peered inside as Ichidou hovered nervously behind him. _'This doesn't feel right,'_ she thought, quivering. It was in the next instant that Yami vanished while Ichidou was shoved backwards. "Yami, ah!" she shouted. She hit the ground and her head made contact with the stone with an abrupt agony. She clutched it, realizing sharply that the chamber was becoming colder. "_Yami!_" she called out, staggering to her feet. The air was developing into a suffocating force, weighing her petite build down. "**_Yami!_**" she repeated with more urgency. She tottered to the door and pulled it open a bit wider. Within it was a grand, empty hallway in a palace of some kind. She felt frail and out of place as she warily stepped onto its smooth flooring. She was on a surrounding veranda of some kind that was sheltered with a roof held up by cream-colored pillars. It led into the palace via various guarded doorways and overlooked a vast green that ended with a considerably sized marketplace. 

Ichidou glanced back to see that the passage extended behind her. _'The door's gone,' _she realized numbly. She turned agitatedly to one of the guards, who were all standing firmly in only skirts, jewels, and headdresses. She queried, "Umm, did a guy with weird, spiky multi-colored hair go by?" To her amazement a flurry of words flew from her mouth that she could somehow understand to be what she had meant to say, but in a totally different dialect.

The sentry looked aggravated by her inquiry, but he somehow refrained from snapping as he asked in the same tongue Ichidou had just spoken in, "What are you doing here, lady? Should not you be in the Pharaoh's chamber with his other consorts?"

_'Pharaoh? Consorts?!'_ Ichidou gasped silently. _'But that can't be-I-oh no! Am I in one of Yami's memories? But how…?!'_

"Lady Neferetiabet*!" came a voice, dragging Ichidou out of her jumbled deliberation. Ichidou looked up to see a short, young woman maybe a year or two younger than herself, hurrying towards her. Her skin had a rich tan hue and her black tresses had been placed in numerous braids. She was wrapped in a pale yellow dress with a little gold trim. "I'm so glad I found you, m'lady," continued the girl. "The ceremony will begin when the sun sets! We must hurry!" (A/N: It took me awhile to decide on a real female, Ancient Egyptian name and finally I picked Neferetiabet, which means "The Orient is Beautiful." It kind of fits Ichidou in more ways than one if you ask me. ^__- *)

"What do you-" began Ichidou. 

"Come, Lady Neferetiabet!" said the girl making motions with her hands to follow her. Ichidou followed her onto the courtyard and to several mud brick buildings surrounded by a high wall. 

Finally Ichidou asked as she rushed behind the teenage girl, "What's this ceremony for?" 

"If you do not mind me saying, Lady Neferetiabet, you are very absentminded," replied the girl. "The ceremony is for the Pharaoh's heir. He is ten-years-old today after all. I'll get you ready, m'lady!" she continued, dashing into one of the structures. Once inside, the girl, whose name, when eventually asked, was Miw-sher*, sat Ichidou down and placed rouge on her lips and bordered kohl around her eyes. Miw-sher then pulled several sparkling, aureate bracelets onto Ichidou's wrists and put three jeweled anklets on each of her bare feet beneath her dress. _'Wait, hold the phone!'_ Ichidou thought. _'I was wearing my pj's before! How am I wearing this?!'_ Sure enough when Ichidou glanced at her reflection in the gold water basin she saw a slightly tanner, bejeweled self gazing back at her. She was dressed in a long, ecru gown with quite a few necklaces resting against her chest. Her hair was darker now and had been placed in many tiny braids. Her black-edged emerald eyes widened at how strange, but similar she appeared. Then she realized something, she was probably no older than thirteen years old now. She sighed and tried to recall how it had felt being nine-years-old the first time around. She nearly laughed aloud. (A/N: By the way, my sources tell me Miw-sher means "kitten" and was an Ancient Egyptian name. ^_^*)

"Are you ready, Lady Neferetiabet?" asked Miw-sher politely. She was, Ichidou had gathered, the maid of the youngest consort of the Pharaoh. _'That's me,'_ Ichidou thought wrinkling her nose.

"I am. Let's go," Ichidou said. 

************************************************************************

"Miw-sher, how many wives does the Pharaoh have?" Ichidou questioned as they walked down a passageway back in the palace. They were making their way towards the hall where the rite would be held. 

"Pharaoh Akunamukanon has one chief wife of course-that's Great Wife Netikerty-and thirteen lesser ones such as yourself, Lady Neferetiabet," stated Miw-sher. She stopped twenty feet from a wide doorway where several decorated people were entering. "I will see you after the ceremony, milady," Miw-sher declared, leaving as soon as her mistress had bade her farewell. 

Ichidou took a deep breath and strode into the hall. She felt odd beside all the other consorts of the Pharaoh. The chief wife of which sat closest to the king himself, who was a man with sun-darkened skin and a beard. He had on a headdress with the uraeus, or sacred snake, on it. Great Wife Netikerty appeared to be atleast five years the Pharaoh's junior and was dazzling in radiant gold. Her face was narrow and she had sharp amethyst eyes. She eyed Ichidou for a moment before turning her head to the door. Many people were looking there as well so Ichidou turned her head to see…_Yami_. Ichidou gaped as she analyzed her aibou. He was definitely much younger, only ten-years-old, but his hair was the same pointed shape and, she realized, he definitely had Great Wife Netikerty's eyes. She stepped forward reflectively before she realized what she was doing. This wasn't _her_ Yami. He had his own body and wasn't so inclined to brood yet after all. _'Besides,'_ Ichidou admitted, _'he's doesn't know me.'_

Yami was greeted and bowed to by many people. When he reached his father's throne he bowed himself and sat beside the Pharaoh, Great Wife Netikerty, his full-blooded younger siblings, his father's other consorts, and their children or Yami's own half-siblings. Ichidou sighed, and sat down among the other secondary wives. She chewed her lip as Pharaoh Akunamukanon stood and addressed the crowd on honoring the special day. Ichidou barely listened for she was intent on observing Yami's every move. She had no idea what his real name was, for it certainly couldn't be Japanese until Pharaoh Akunamukanon said to Yami, "Come Atem, I need to speak with you." Yami, or Atem, stood up and followed his father, leaving Ichidou to mull over her discovery. 

After a moment, she realized someone was standing over her and looked up to see Great Wife Netikerty. The chief wife of the Pharaoh sat down beside the younger woman on a pillow, but her head was still quite a bit higher than Ichidou's. "So, Neferetiabet, what think of my eldest son, Atem?" she queried.

"He's-" Ichidou tried to say. She swallowed and settled for saying, "He seems nice enough, milady."

"You are very close to his age, are you not, Neferetiabet?" questioned Netikerty. 

"I am nearly thirteen years of age, m'lady," stated Ichidou automatically to her own surprise. 

"I see. So in two years or so you will wish to produce one just like him, or perhaps a girl?" asked Netikerty.

Ichidou nearly choked. _'What if I'm stuck like this that long or forever?!'_ she gasped slightly, realizing just how deep she was in. Finally she managed to say, "I don't know, m'lady."

"I myself have five such royal children of the Pharaoh already and another is upcoming," stated Netikerty.

To Ichidou it sounded like Netikerty was boasting and she nearly gagged. "It has been nice talking with you, milady, but I must be going," Ichidou lied, standing up.

"Of course, but, Neferetiabet…?"

"Yes?" Ichidou queried warily.

"Do be careful," stated Netikerty enigmatically. 

Ichidou gulped and thought, _'My life is hell! Yami's 'kaasan is threatening me and I'm trapped in Ancient Egypt as one of his haiguusha no 'tousan. **Just great…**"_

************************************************************************

A/N: I'm not sure how old a girl would have to be to become a royal consort, but everything, when it came to ages, was lower so I chose eight. If I'm wrong, oh well. 

A/N 2: So Yami's real name is Atem. Technically you could also say it's Atemu because you can't have an 'm' in Japanese without a following vowel. That's what I've heard anyway. It could be a nickname or short for something in reality though. @_@ I mean, what pharaoh has a name that short? Oh well. I'm sure we'll figure this all out by the end of the series… Ack! I don't want to think about that! ^_^;; Anyhow, on to the next author note!

A/N 3: Here are the Japanese translations:

Hikari=light

Haiguusha=spouse, wife, husband

Other Notes: 

*Uraeus=

        _The figure of the sacred serpent, an emblem of sovereignty depicted on the headdress of ancient Egyptian rulers and deities._

**_-from The American Heritage® Dictionary_**

#Netikerty=She who is excellent (Choccy: Cool name. Bad dame. You'll really see what I mean later.  ^_-)

A/N 4: I hope you guys like this chapter. It was loads of work. Please review! ^_^ 

**_UPDATE: Anyone who read this chapter before 1/5/04 has the wrong ages for Neferetiabet and Atem! Neferetiabet is nearly thirteen and Atem has just turned ten!_**

A/N 5: Here's a little preview of the next chapter:

**Ichidou's nearly thirteen-years-old again and is stuck in Ancient Egypt! The Yami of this long ago time is only ten and not much help. But just as she gets used to her present status she's whisked six years later when Yami is sixteen and Pharaoh Akunamukanon is dead.  As young Atem is now Pharaoh it's time to choose his chief wife to unsure the protection of the kingdom. To the modern girl in Ichidou's horror, Netikerty is trying to convince her son to make her his principal wife while the Neferetiabet in Ichidou wishes badly to be the one Atem chooses. Mysteries and murder abound as Neferetiabet becomes closer to Atem and Ichidou finds herself torn between wishing to be home and wanting to discover what exactly happened to her past self and Yami…**

A/N 6: Sayonara! ^__^

Cineris: *chirp*


	10. Duel Ten: …That Blossoms…

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To Yami's-Girl: Twelve? I knew it was young. *laughs* I was a little off. Hmm, I'll fix the ages… Ah, not fun, but thanks a bunch for the info. In the past I've done a bunch of projects on Ancient Egypt, but I'm afraid I can't think of any good sources besides a high-quality encyclopedia right now. For the whole women in Egypt info I needed for this story I just used the internet by searching on google.com under various phrases. Of course that meant I needed to check over and over on various websites to unsure my information was correct. Thanks a whole bouquet of roses for reviewing! ^__^

**_UPDATE: Anyone who read the previous chapter before 1/5/04 has the wrong ages for Neferetiabet and Atem! Neferetiabet is nearly thirteen and Atem has just turned ten! I changed them because I just learned that girls in Ancient Egypt usually got married between the ages of 12-14. Sorry for the confusion. _**

A/N: I am well aware that the little ten-year-old Yami (or Atem) in this chapter sounds a lot like Yugi. He's fairly innocent still after all. Also, look for demi-High Priest Seto because he's in this chapter too being a snot. ^__^ 

A/N 2: Last chapter we reached part 2 of this fanfic, an arc I like to call "The Ancient Egyptian Romance Arc©." We were in "The Foundation Arc©." Sorry about the dorky arc titles. ^_-

A/N 3: By the way, have you guys forgotten what I said in the first chapter? ^_^ I said whoever figured out what song this is inspired from gets air as their prize. Not too convincing, huh? Soon I'll actually be using the song so guess ASAP before it's too late. I'm now offering a chance to get an appearance in this fanfic if you guess the correct answer. Or, if you want, you can force me to put any canon character you want in the story besides Yami and Seto and Mokuba Kaiba because all three of them are obviously going to be here quite a bit. Anyone can guess in a review. I'll give you two hints:

1. It's called "Everything." *laughs*

2. It's a love song that starts out slow for about the first four minutes. The last two are fairly quick. Guddorakku! (Good luck!)

**_Duel Ten: …That Blossoms…_**

Ichidou yawned as Miw-sher called to her to awaken. She had been up for sometime contemplating her situation and rubbed her weary eyes. She had gotten little sleep over the past few days and snuck glances at Yami every chance she got. She started correcting herself by calling him _Atem_ in her thoughts instead, but after awhile she gave up. It proved to not be very difficult to avoid Yami's okaasan. Great Wife Netikerty was very preoccupied in her duties running the palace, which left the Pharaoh Akunamukanon's lesser wives to themselves on most occasions. They resided in the royal harem, or the mud brick houses, most of the day with their children and many servants where they occupied themselves by taking care of their offspring and chatting. 

Ichidou drifted around the courtyard and sometimes slipped into the palace. Apparently this wasn't so uncommon a pastime for the real Neferetiabet to do so Ichidou's wanderings went unnoticed. On that particular day, which was Ichidou's fifth in Ancient Egypt, she dragged herself out of bed and dressed in a golden dress and Miw-sher entered and put on her jewelry and make-up. Ichidou then went out of the harem and across the lawn to the palace. She roamed the veranda, passing the sentries in silence. 

She abruptly stopped when she made sight of Atem. He was quite small, but they were the same height for Ichidou was petite herself. Atem was more sturdily built though and so he looked older. "Good day, your grace," Ichidou said, bowing. 

Atem, who was leaning against one of the banisters surrounding the terrace, turning to her and grinned. He was roped in white with jewelry too heavy for his tiny frame weighing him down. "'Ello, ma'am. Aren'tcha Lady Neferetiabet?" asked Ichidou's little aibou, tilting his head respectfully. 

"That's me, milord," said Ichidou solemnly. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you out here alone?"

"Oh," said Atem. "My father's just left to go to Cairo and my mother has gone with him so I have nothing to do."

"But there's several little boys in the harem," Ichidou noted.

"They don't like me much," tiny Yami admitted. 

"Hmm, well, I'll play with ya 'til your parents come back if ya want," young Neferetiabet-Ichidou consented. She was beginning to get the feeling that she was just reading a script, an actor in a play. The words were coming easily to her as if she had no control over them.

"Really?" questioned the demi-Yami, beaming.

_'He's so different from the brooding Yami I know,'_ Ichidou thought, chewing on her bottom lip. "Sure," Neferetiabet-Ichidou said. "But what shall we do, your highness?"

"Here," said Atem, grabbing onto Neferetiabet-Ichidou's sleeve and dragging her down a hallway that led off the veranda. "I'll show you, Lady Neferetiabet."

Ichidou cringed at the name, but refrained from telling him not to call her that. This was the heir to the Egyptian throne she had almost told off after all. _'Which is a big no-no,'_ Ichidou thought glancing at one of the burly guards standing along the passage nervously. 

Eventually, Atem led Neferetiabet-Ichidou into a dark, heavily guarded room. Within it was a huge gold tablet with imprints of the seven Millennium Items on it. Ichidou gasped at the sight. "It's beautiful," whispered Neferetiabet-Ichidou. 

"This is where the Millennium Items go if something where to happen to the priests," explained Atem. He strode forward and tapped the gold cautiously. "Isn't it neat?"

"Uh huh," muttered Neferetiabet-Ichidou. 

She took a step forward only to hear someone holler, "Git away from there, girl!" Neferetiabet-Ichidou turned to see a boy perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old. It didn't take long for her to realize he was a young miniture of the present Seto Kaiba. He had the same haughty frown on his face, but he had a blue headdress on and a thick necklace around his neck. He was barefoot, but he still looked formidable with his arms crossed beneath the necklace. "Who are you?" he snapped. (A/N: He may act like a snob, but who else would like to meet Priest-to-be Seto besides me? ^_-)

"I'm Lady Neferetiabet," stated Neferetiabet-Ichidou, frowning.

"Oh, you're one of the Pharaoh's little concubines then," retorted the ancient little Seto Kaiba, smirking disdainfully. 

"I am, but I've never-well, _you know…_" said Neferetiabet, trying to explain her virginal status to Ichidou's embarrassment. Ichidou squirmed mentally, attempting to stop her past self's mouth from continuing on the subject. It worked, or atleast Neferetiabet decided it was useless to explain. 

Meanwhile the little future Priest Seto, who was far from being as short as the Egyptian heir or Neferetiabet, said snidely, "It won't be too long before Pharaoh Akunamukanon's bedded you then."

Ichidou silently fumed in indignation as Neferetiabet frowned and riposted, "Either way, I'll always be in the Pharaoh's good graces unlike a certain nasty priest's apprentice!"

"_Oooh, nice one, Neferetiabet. I'm hurt_," said the apprentice in question sardonically. 

"Oh go away unless you're willing to be with his highness and me without making a mean remark," Neferetiabet snapped.

"But you two have so many faults," Seto said, smirking unkindly at Atem who scowled. 

"Be gone, cousin," said the future Pharaoh. "Neferetiabet and I are gonna go to the gardens."

"As you wish, _milord_," Seto stated, spitting out the last word maliciously before stomping out. 

Neferetiabet-Ichidou grinned and followed Atem out of the room. It was then that Neferetiabet-Ichidou felt a bout of nausea. She stumbled and Atem said, "Are you alright, Lady Neferetiabet? Ma'am?"

"I-" Neferetiabet-Ichidou gasped. Ichidou heard a sound like tearing cloth as her world went dark.

************************************************************************

Ichidou groaned as she heard a familiar voice calling, "It is time to awaken, m'lady." Ichidou instinctively pulled the covers closer to her chest only to realize that she had been with little Atem in the palace only moments before. Her eyes flew open and she sat up rapidly. She took a sharp intake of breath at what she saw. She had obviously been snoozing in the bed she had been sleeping in those five days in Ancient Egypt with one, great difference. "I'm-I'm older again!" she gasped. 

"Did you have another dream, Lady Neferetiabet?" an older Miw-sher asked, stepping inside the room. 

"I-um-yes, I did," Neferetiabet-Ichidou finally said. She dragged herself out of bed and noted with faint pleasure that she was taller even then she had been as sixteen-year-old Ichidou. She certainly wasn't too tall though for she only reached Miw-sher's shoulders. She dressed in a pale blue gown and Miw-sher placed on her make-up for Ichidou's sixth time. Ichidou then rushed out, feeling something calling to her.

It wasn't long before Yami came into sight. He was more like Ichidou's aibou than the ten-year-old version naturally, but he was still a bit too cheery compared to the present Yami even though, the Neferetiabet in Ichidou informed her, his father had died. Great Wife Netikerty was still alive though and a thorn in Neferetiabet's side. Ichidou searched the part of her that was Neferetiabet to find out _Atem_ was sixteen now. _'So I've been sent six years later… That makes me nineteen! Whoa!'_ Ichidou realized. 

Neferetiabet-Ichidou called out, "Pharaoh Atem!"

Atem turned and smiled. He had been talking with Priest Mahaado who said a farewell, bowed, and left. Ichidou watched Mahaado inquisitively as he walked away for around his neck rested the Millennium Ring glinting in the sunlight. "Now, what is it, Lady Neferetiabet?" questioned Atem knowingly.

"Who said I wanted anything but to greet you?" Neferetiabet-Ichidou queried.

"It's obvious by your tone that you wish to speak with me."

"Hmm, well," said Neferetiabet-Ichidou with a toss of her head, "I just wished to inform you of the High Priest's treatment of Pedibastet's children as of late. It is worsening. He has been harming the littlest one's kitten."

Atem sighed and said, "I am well aware of my cousin's behavior."

"And?" asked Neferetiabet-Ichidou.

"And I have spoken with him many times on such matters," finished the past Yami.

"_Argh!_ You know that does not help!" Neferetiabet-Ichidou accused. 

"I know," replied Atem, "but what can I do? He is my cousin and the High Priest."

"You are incorrigible!" shouted Neferetiabet-Ichidou, lackadaisically placing her head on her left hand. 

"I know," Atem noted. He was clad in only wide pants, a red cape, a thick aureate necklace, and several bangles. Around his neck hung the Millennium Puzzle causing Ichidou to long to have the familiar weight resting against her chest. They strolled side-by-side along the path through the garden. Ichidou had a feeling Neferetiabet and Atem did this every chance they could. 

Ichidou sighed inwardly. _'I want to go home!'_ she complained to herself. _'I want things to be like they used to be! Just me and 'Kaasan and the weekly session of being threatened by Ke-ki and running for my freakin' life!' _She took a deep breath and shut her eyes for a moment to calm herself. _'There's no place like home,'_ chanted Ichidou half-seriously. _'There's no place like home.' _She broke into mental hysterics so fierce she was crying outside from laughing so hard.

When they turned a corner they nearly collided with Great Wife Netikerty causing Ichidou to mentally choke. Netikerty sneered at Neferetiabet before turning to her son and querying, "How are you, dear Atem?" She stepped in stride with them on Atem's right side and Atem and Neferetiabet-Ichidou continued walking.

"I am fine, Mother. How goes the preparations for heightened protection of Father's tomb?" replied Atem, with a slight tilt of his head. 

"I fear it may not be enough," replied Netikerty. "There are many highly-skilled tomb robbers after all." In Ichidou's eyes she was obviously ignoring the younger wife of the former Pharaoh.

Atem sighed and whispered, "So there is."

"There is another matter we must address, son. One that, if achieved, will benefit the kingdom greatly," Netikerty noted. 

"What be it, Mother?" the young Pharaoh inquired.

"You know you must choose a chief wife soon," said Netikerty, drawing a groan from Atem. "Without one," insisted his mother, "the kingdom is in danger of having no heir if you were to depart this life. I have developed a solution." Ichidou rolled her eyes at how dramatic Yami's 'kaasan was being.

"Which is, Mother?" Atem queried.

"You will choose me as your chief wife," Netikerty answered causing Neferetiabet-Ichidou to stumble. It took all Ichidou had not to groan. "After all, I do have the knowledge and experience."

_'That's-that's just **wrong**!'_ Ichidou shouted spiritually. _'Besides the obvious fact that you're his 'kaasan, lady, I'm-_I'm what_?'_

So befuddled was Ichidou that she nearly missed Yami's response. "You're proposition is appreciated, Mother, but" said Atem after a moment of heavy silence among the group, "it is not necessary."

"What ever do you mean, Atem?!" gasped Netikerty.

Ichidou silently cheered inside. _'I don't think I could've looked at Yami the same if he's said yes,'_ she realized, grinning behind her hand. Finally she said aloud for Atem, "Don't you think it would be improper, Great Wife Netikerty?"

"It does not matter!" the older woman snapped before checking herself at Atem's disapproving look. "I mean it would help keep the royal blood among the actual family."

"Change can be excellent, Mother," remarked Atem, smiling slightly at Neferetiabet-Ichidou for her contribution to his side.

************************************************************************

Anon, Ichidou frowned and thought as she wandered back to the harem, _'Well, Netikerty's sooo gonna kill me.'_ She frowned as she passed High Priest "Seto" who snarled at her. _'Hmm, in a bad mood as usual, which reminds me,'_ she continued. _'I was supposed to go see Seto Kaiba. I seem to have more important problems though. Like getting home!'_

Ichidou wearily reached her little house in the harem and collapsed on her cot. She raked her fingers through her braids and reached out mentally. She knew no one would answer, but she just needed to fully comprehend how alone she was. She felt as if she'd been dreaming all the time she'd been there and now she had been doused with water. Ichidou groaned and whispered, "There's no place like home." She didn't go into a giggle fit this time though. She just stared at the ceiling solemnly as if it held all the answers.

"Are you ill, milady?" Miw-sher asked, stepping inside. 

"Not in the normal sense, no," Neferetiabet-Ichidou muttered. 

"But how can you be so disheartened when the Pharaoh is obviously enthralled with you?" 

"**_WHAT?!?!_**" shrieked Neferetiabet-Ichidou, sitting up in one swift motion.

"You didn't know, Lady Neferetiabet?" Miw-sher queried. "Why, it is the latest talk among the other servants."

Neferetiabet-Ichidou, who looked as if she was either going to murder someone or yell, finally calmed down and asked, "What evidence have these…_servants_?"

"Only how he looks upon you and how informal you and his highness are around one another," Miw-sher answered. 

Ichidou gaped and admitted, _'Well, it is good evidence…but I have to get home!'_ She gazed at Miw-sher to see the other female hiding a grin. Ichidou nearly screamed again.

************************************************************************

" "Why don't you go speak with Pharaoh, m'lady? It can't hurt," " Neferetiabet-Ichidou grumbled to herself imitating Miw-sher. With coaxing from her maid, she had set out to find Atem the morning after her talk with Miw-sher. "I'm gonna make a fool of myself!" she added in her own tone.

"You know talking to yourself is a sign of insanity, Lady Neferetiabet," remarked a dry voice. Neferetiabet-Ichidou looked up to see the High Priest leaning against one of the rails surrounding the veranda. She walked up the steps that led to that very place and retorted, "It is only one sign out of many that _you_ have!"

"Well played, ma'am," said the priest. 

Neferetiabet-Ichidou humphed and continued through the terrace. She eventually spotted Pharaoh Atem with his most trusted advisor, Simon. The man had brought the Pharaoh up after all, Neferetiabet's knowledge informed her reincarnation. "_Ah!_ Lady Neferetiabet! How nice to see you," said Simon, turning to the woman. 

Neferetiabet-Ichidou could've sworn she had seen Simon wink as he bid good-bye to them and left. _'Maybe I'm just paranoid,'_ Ichidou thought dryly. She mentally sighed and added, _'Probably not. It seems everyone is trying to set up Yami and Neferetiabet up. Ah! If he and Neferetiabet-Eek! **Just great…** I'll have my own private show if that happens.'_ Ichidou shuddered, but grinned slightly despite herself. She mentally slapped herself as she realized Atem had asked her something. She automatically responded with a, "I'm fine. Thank you, milord." _'So my body seems to be ignoring my thoughts,' _Ichidou realized wryly._ 'Well, I've already started saying things I wouldn't normally… Hmm, I wonder if I'm like a reincarnation or something of Neferetiabet… Could that be why I'm stuck watching everything my body does? Then why am I here in the first place?'_

Neferetiabet-Ichidou had been dawdling so Atem turned back to her. "Come, I wish to show you something," he called.

"So this is akin to that first time we were together like this?" Neferetiabet-Ichidou queried, a small smile on her lips. 

"You could say that," Atem said deeply.

Ichidou shivered at the tone. She couldn't quite place why it made her insides clench though. The Pharaoh led Neferetiabet-Ichidou onto the courtyard and along a path. Ichidou stared at his back, watching the crimson robe as it brushed the stone trail. _'It isn't terrible being in Ancient Egypt… 'Living in the palace anyway,'_ she realized with a smirk. _'There's enough jewelry to satisfy even Karei and… Okay, I'll admit it Yami's hot, cape, spiky hair, and all. I am really sixteen after all! That doesn't mean I-I-oh forget it. Hmm, I'm talking to myself again. Atleast not aloud this time,' _added Ichidou remembering the High Priest's words. 

Eventually Atem stopped at the entrance to a huge stone structure guarded by two men. "What is this place?" Neferetiabet-Ichidou queried. 

"Have you ever seen a Duel Monster tablet?" Atem asked in turn.

"No. Aren't they huge?"

"'Taller than either of us," Atem muttered, walking past the kneeling sentries.

Neferetiabet-Ichidou followed him and whispered, "That's not saying much you know, your highness."

"Atem!" yelled the young Pharaoh.

"Hmm?" Neferetiabet-Ichidou murmured as she stared, feeling significantly intimidated in the great chamber with its huge stone slabs. It felt rather as if the _Black Magician_ tablet and the others were spying on her with their eerily lively eyes.

"Amun-Ra only knows if it'll actually harm anyone but my immediate relatives to address me by my name," said Atem lightly. "What I'm trying to say, Lady Neferetiabet, is I would like you to start calling me Atem. If it makes you uncomfortable you don't have to in public," he added. 

"Well," muttered Neferetiabet-Ichidou. "All right, _Atem_, but don't call me Lady Neferetiabet then. Unadorned Nebet is fine."

"Nebet? Okay. It's certainly shorter than Neferetiabet. It's a treaty then," laughed Atem before staring wide-eyed at the slabs. "Isn't this place interesting? Many a time, I used to sneak away from Simon and hide here."

"I thought you always hid in the pots," teased Nebet-Ichidou. 

"'Not when I became too large," stated Atem.

Nebet-Ichidou chuckled and Atem smirked. She noted the ease in which he confirmed the rumor. She stuck out a tentative finger and tapped the tablet of the _Black Magician_. Nothing occurred, but she smiled nonetheless and thought, _'It really is huge, but sooo dus-'_

"_A_-**_choo!_**" Nebet-Ichidou sneezed violently, sending sand flying and Atem covering his eyes. The Pharaoh brushed dust from his hair as Nebet-Ichidou grinned.

"Do you wish to go somewhere… _less dusty_?" queried the young Yami after a few moments. 

"All right. Where?"

"I was thinking the private garden."

"I've never been there. Is it lovely?"

"Gorgeous," Atem said in that deep tone again that sent tremors up Ichidou's spine. 

She trailed him out the door, past the guards, and down another pathway. Soon the high arch that led to the garden appeared. Within it were the reddest roses Ichidou had ever seen and little white jasmine directly in front of her. To her right were narcissuses with brilliant, narrow leaves and white, cup-shaped flowers and oleanders. The evergreen shrubs hadfragrant purple flowers. Nebet-Ichidou gazed at lush chrysanthemum and dahlias of various shades, and grinned. Farther into the garden were henna trees with aromatic reddish flowers with a bed of purplish-blue violets beneath them. In a little pool, lotus flowers with large leaves and pink flowers floated atop the blue water. Nebet-Ichidou kneeled down beside the pond and poked a finger into the water. 

"This is beautiful!" she exclaimed, turning to Atem who was standing near the edge of the pool.  

He met her enraptured gaze with one of his own aimed solely at her. Nebet-Ichidou stood up and went to stand beside him. Eyes glinting, Atem gave her a questioning look. Nebet nodded as Ichidou's thoughts flew. They came to a crashing halt at what Atem did next. He placed his arms on her waist and pulled her to him, leaning down and pressing his lips intensely to her's. Nebet-Ichidou let out a little gasp before returning the kiss with a fervent need.

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A/N: Geez, this chapter is so much longer than my usual ones. (I wish I could type with all ten fingers. My poor index finger.) I really needed to put the "kiss scene" in here though. *laughs* Otherwise it would've messed up my plan.

Iyami: You don't have a plan.

Choccy: I do for the next chapter! Aren't you proud? ^_^

Iyami: *sarcastic* _I'm ecstatic…_

Choccy: Now that's not nice. =P

Iyami: Don't care. -_-

A/N 2: *sigh* Now, the next point of interest is the preview of chapter 11:

**_Ichidou's still in Ancient Egypt, but there's three awesome things about still being there:_**

**_1. She can dreamily gaze 24/7 at Atem unless he's busy. (Unfortunately, being Pharaoh, he usually is. -_-)_**

**_2. She's not in school but she's learning about Ancient Egyptian culture and…_**

**_3. She can dress up all the time in enormously expensive jewels._**

**_So life is good except for the fact that she misses her mom, friends, and ol' broody Yami. _**

**_As she puts it, "Atem is great and all, but Yami is mysterious, doesn't think the fact that I'm his deceased father's little wife is a barrier, and is soooooo hot. Well, Atem is too but Yami has a certain…_**_trait **about him that makes him hotter."**_

**_But things can't stay this way forever. After all, her Yami back in the present wasn't exactly ready to talk about his love life so something's bound to have gone wrong, right?_**

**_………….. Absolutely. _**

**_The next chapter ends the sentence I've been weaving with the last few chapter titles. Stay tuned for "Duel Eleven: …And Goes Horribly Amiss!"_**

A/N 3: Please review! ^__^ Bye!


	11. Duel Eleven: …And Goes Horribly Amiss

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To Artemis*Obscure: *laughs* I'm glad you liked the young Seto bit I put in the last chapter. It was fun to write since I love Seto too. ^_- I had loads of fun researching all the little details to sort of set the proper "mood" for the Ancient Egypt setting I'm using right now. I certainly was trying to add a bit of foreshadowing by mentioning tomb robbers. *grins* I love Yami Bakura too. (Not quite as much as Seto though. ^_^) At the time I really hadn't thought of where to add him into my plot, but yesterday, as I was going to bed, I had a breakthrough. Unfortunately I really had to go to bed. *laughs* As far as I can see though, Yami Bakura will appear in a chapter or two. So basically not until after Ichidou gets back to the present and has… _recovered_. I'm being "foreshadowy" again. *laughs* In other words, I'm going to clobber my poor main OC. Mentally anyway. ^_- I'll try to bring in Malik again, but I haven't planned too far ahead yet. I do have a few OCs coming. This chapter deals quite a bit with one I've already introduced recently, Netikerty… ^___^

To Yami's-Girl: As I told Artemis*Obscure, I haven't planned very far ahead yet. However, I will try to add Yugi in somehow. So far the poor little guy's been pretty much thrown out of the story on account of him being dead. ^_- But I certainly will try. Thanks again for the review!

To silverswan1: It was that good then? *laughs* I hoped so. Thanks for all the compliments. ^__^

A/N: Well, it seems people are requesting canon characters without knowing where the story title came from. Oh well. You'll all know soon enough. ^__-

**_Duel Eleven: …And Goes Horribly Amiss_**

While her body wandered aimlessly for days against her will, a dreamy look on her face, Ichidou's thoughts raced. She wanted to just sit in her room and think, but it seemed Nebet hadn't done that so she couldn't. Every time she would try to stay in the harem, she would feel even more possessed than when Yami was in control of her body. It was horribly disconcerting feeling that left Ichidou feeling more and more stressed with each passing day. 

She had come to the conclusion that Atem had kissed "Nebet" not her. She had had no control over what had occurred in the garden, but, admittedly, the kiss certainly had not been unwelcome. She had dated only two guys in the past and had had countless fickle crushes when she was younger, but nothing had ever felt as _amazing_ as it had. Ichidou blushed at the thought before sighing. 'Atem is great and all, but Yami is mysterious, doesn't think the fact that I'm his deceased father's little wife is a barrier, and is soooooo hot. Well, Atem is too but Yami has a certain…trait about him that makes him hotter,' Ichidou thought, grinning slightly. Her grin vanished at the appearance of the previous Pharaoh's chief wife. 

"Good day, milady," said Nebet-Ichidou neutrally, curtsying. 

Netikerty stopped sauntering down the pathway, her usual dislike towards Nebet-Ichidou placed firmly on her face. "Good day, Lady Neferetiabet," she said, sniffing disdainfully. "How are you?"

"I have been feeling strange as of late, but I really am quite fine, milady."

"I suspected as much!" snapped Akunamukanon's chief wife. 

"_What…?_ Milady?" Nebet-Ichidou questioned, taken aback. 

"_Both you and my Atem are walking around like lost pups!_" shrieked Netikerty.

"Oh," came Nebet-Ichidou's muffled reply.

"_I cannot believe this! The Pharaoh and you of all wenches! **This cannot be!**_" Netikerty screamed.

"But I-We-Er-_Well…_" Nebet-Ichidou garbled.

"**_I WON'T HAVE IT!!!_**" Yami's okaasan bellowed causing Nebet-Ichidou to jump.

"But, Great Wife Netikerty, isn't that just a bit…er… _presumptuous_?" Nebet-Ichidou gulped.

"**_Now you listen here, Neferetiabet!_**" roared Netikerty. "_I won't have you soiling the royal blood!_"

"I never said I was going to become his wife or anything," pleaded Nebet-Ichidou, trying to stay calm to little avail. _'She's scaring me… I hope Yami didn't inherit this trait,'_ Ichidou thought weakly. She sweat-dropped at the older woman while her body backed away.

Netikerty took a deep breath and said softly, "I just won't have it. You do understand my position, don't you?"

"Er-I suppose so."

"Excellent," said Netikerty cheerfully. "Now, if you tell Atem what I've said I will pray that Osiris condemns you in the approaching afterlife."

Nebet-Ichidou gulped at the warning. _'Great options I have,' _thought Ichidou sarcastically. 

************************************************************************

Ichidou lay in bed that night, staring at her ceiling. The silky sheets were curled around her legs from all her tossing and turning as she struggled to get to sleep. But every time she would attempt it, internal alarm bells would ring in her head. _Something's wrong! Something's wrong!_ they called. Ichidou's eyes looked impossibly bright and too green in the darkness. She reveled in the shadows knowing who was their master in her own time. 

Ichidou let out a sigh and turned onto her right side. It seemed she had more control over her body at night. Did it have something to do with her aibou? Had he changed _her_? 

She resolved on telling the Pharaoh about his okaasan as soon as possible. Yes, that was what she would do. She was sure it was the best plan to carry out and she finally reached dreamland. Tomorrow, she would tell him, he would talk with his okaasan, and everything would be fine, right?

_Wrong._

************************************************************************

Yami awoke with a start. He was bewildered by where he was for a few moments before he shook his head and pressed his knuckles to his forehead. His head hurt like someone had yanked a handful of hair from it. 

"Ichidou?" he called out. He shook his head. She couldn't be in his soul room, everything was bathed in darkness. _'No hikari then,'_ he mused, getting shakily to his feet. But hadn't she been with him? He pondered over what had last occurred. _'I was walking down a passage and then I reached a door and…ah, and Ichidou appeared. After that, we…I opened the door with the udjat on it!' _he added with sudden realization. 

He disappeared and rematerialized before the metal door with the Eye of Horus engraved in its surface. He didn't open it again; instead he vanished and appeared in the hallway outside his soul room.

Ichidou's door was…

_Gone._

"**_GONE?!?!_**"**__**

************************************************************************

"She said what?!" Atem gasped, turning to Nebet-Ichidou. Both of them were within the palace in Atem's chambers. The Pharaoh had scribbling some hieroglyphs down on a page himself for "It was brainless to have to call for a scribe every time he wished to send a note to the priests." Now he was staring up at Nebet-Ichidou in incredulity.

"You heard me," replied Nebet-Ichidou.

"Ah,"  the young Pharaoh groaned. "So my mother thinks you will _soil_ the bloodline?" 

"As far as I can gather, yes," Nebet-Ichidou answered.

Atem sighed and nodded. "I'll talk to her."

"Akin to how you talk to the High Priest, Atem?" teased Nebet-Ichidou.

Atem grinned, shook his head, and left, leaving her alone. She stepped outside the room a few minutes later to crash into Netikerty. She apologized and picked herself off the ground. Netikerty loomed over her portentously and Nebet-Ichidou shrank with trepidation. 

"He's been looking for me," Netikerty remarked, stepping closer to Nebet-Ichidou who backed up into the room. "I told you not to tell him."

"I didn't say anything, milady," Nebet-Ichidou pleaded. 

"**_Liar!_**" shrieked Netikerty. 

"Oh! I'm sorry, milady, but I didn't want any trou-" Nebet-Ichidou gasped.

"Then you should have kept silent," Netikerty snapped, now an immovable ice queen. 

Ichidou gasped, trying to take control of her body. _'Come on, Netikerty means business!'_ she screeched internally. 

Nebet receded towards the entrance to the balcony. It was the only chance for escape. She ran, flinging the doors open. She reached the balcony's banister only to recall how very high up she was. Below her was a view of the private garden. It was ironic and terribly painful to Nebet as she stood against the railing. 

"**_ATEM!!!_**" she screamed as Netikerty stepped onto the balcony. "_No! Netikerty! Ah!_" she shouted as she noticed the glint of silver in the other woman's gasp. It was a blade with a handle inlaid with gems. She dodged Netikerty's first two jabs but wasn't so lucky on the third as she was cornered and the knife grazed her arm. Blood splattered onto the shinning floor as Nebet cried out in pain. She slipped past Netikerty and off the balcony. 

Ichidou was writhing in agony in her soul room. She felt everything Nebet felt for they shared the same body. Her soul itself was bleeding for there was only so many traumas one could take. She collapsed onto the blue floor of the room, blood seeping into the carpeting. 

Meanwhile, Nebet ran only to have to around as she realized Netikerty had locked the main door. All of the Pharaoh's personal chambers connected though so she hurried through the doorway that led into Atem's study. 

Netikerty pursued her, her dagger now stained with blood. They hurried through the room, which had shelves stacked with papyrus and trinkets, and into the adjacent bedroom. To Ichidou's horror, Nebet tripped over an ornate, wooden chest by the bed and went flying. She landed painfully on her wrist and cried out. Netikerty took advantage of the situation and slashed Nebet's shoulder. Nebet tried to scramble to her feet, tears blurring her vision as her pain increased. Netikerty stabbed her in the back then and Nebet-Ichidou let out a scream.

Nebet broke away though, sending more crimson onto the floor. She didn't go very far for in the next instant, which felt like an infinity, Netikerty had grabbed her wrist and spun her to face her. Nebet struggled, and cried out when she felt the blade pierce her abdomen. Before her was Netikerty grinning triumphantly. 

"Goodnight, Neferetiabet," she whispered. 

"**_NEBET!!!_**" hollered someone who felt far away to Nebet-Ichidou's dulling ears. "**_WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! GRAB HER!!! YOU, GO FOR THE HEALER NOW!!!_**"

Nebet-Ichidou let out a little whimper as two men with powerful arms snatched Netikerty, who shrieked like an enraged simian, and the knife was removed from her stomach. She buckled to the ground with a pained sob as Atem appeared at her side. "Nebet, it's okay. Nebet," he said as soothingly as he could muster as her blood pooled on the floor. 

"Atem?" she muttered feebly. 

"It's all right, Neferetiabet," whispered Atem.

Nebet shook her head and winced at the pain it caused. "Osiris is calling," she murmured.

"No, no, Nebet," Atem mumbled into her hair as he stroked her back. 

_'Everything's so fuzzy… Ow! Oh, Kami-sama, this hurts so bad,'_ Ichidou thought. _'I can't die like this**! I WON'T!!!**'_

************************************************************************

The Millennium Puzzle around Yami's neck flashed as he stood thunderstruck,  staring at the space Ichidou's door had been in the hallway. He started in surprise. _'That can only mean-'_ he realized. His thoughts were interrupted as Ichidou's soul room door appeared for a moment before it vanished. It reappeared and continued to flicker as Yami stepped warily towards it. 

He stuck a cautious hand out and tapped the door. The passage erupted in light and Yami winced. In the afterglow, Ichidou's door ceased its former gleaming and looked much like it had when Yami had first set his eyes on it months ago.  There was one huge difference though. 

_On its surface was Ichidou's name written in blood. _

Yami stared at the Japanese symbols before pushing open the door. He faltered as he realized Ichidou was lying on the floor in a blood-splattered russet gown and a thick, bejeweled necklace. 

_Worse of all, she wasn't moving._

************************************************************************

A/N: *dodges an assortment of pointy objects* I know! _I know!_ It's a horrible place to leave you guys hanging. I actually wrote this in two sittings though. It would've been one, but I had to eat. *laughs* Think of it as a trade. You guys get a chapter quickly and I put in a cliffhanger. ^_-

A/N 2: There's no new Japanese translations this chapter. Most of this was set in Ancient _EGYPT _after all. *laughs* Present Yami finally made an appearance though. Yay! ^_^ It's been awhile since we've seen him and he's certainly a bit behind the times. He doesn't know what his aibou has gone through yet after all… But when he does he's going to be pretty upset. 

A/N 3: Here's the NEW preview for chapter 12:

**_To Yami's relief Ichidou's still alive, but her soul's been badly cracked and she won't wake up. Yami has no choice but to possess her body and go to an old friend for assistance. Unfortunately for him, the ally has a yami that really doesn't like him and the feelings mutual. _**

**_Stay tuned for the double-yami filled chapter, "Duel Twelve!"_**

****

A/N 4: **_REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!_** Otsukaresama! (Many thanks!) ^__^ Sayonara!


	12. Duel Twelve: On the Road to Recovery

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To Artemis*Obscure: _I swear I had to end it there!_ *hit with ninja weapons* @__@

Iyami: *taps her hikari with her toe* Choc? Daijoubu ka?

Choccy: _Argh…_ @_@

Iyami: *grins maliciously at her hikari* She'll be back. I think she could use some of that sugar though. ^__^;; I'll promise for her that they'll be more Yami/Ichidou in the future. 

Choccy: *pop* I'm back! Did someone mention sugar? *grins*

Iyami: -__-;; *sigh* What'd I say?

A/N: Guess what, people? *blank stare from reviewers* ^__^;; Well, Ryou and his yami are in this chapter! W00t! Admittedly, Ryou's old and wrinkly, but hey, he's still got his hair and Yami Bakura still looks the same. ^.^

**UPDATE: Anyone who read the previous chapter before 1/9/04, I've changed the preview! The old preview for chapter 12 is now for chapter 13 with a few changes!**

**_Duel Twelve: On the Road to Recovery_**

**You used to captivate me  
By your resonating life  
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind  
Your face it haunts  
My once pleasant dreams  
Your voice it chased away  
All the sanity in me**

-From Evanescence's song "My Immortal"  
  


Yami was at her side in a blink of an eye. Ichidou was lying on her stomach, bleeding from a deep lesion on her back and an even worse one on her abdomen. He took her shoulder and carefully flipped her onto her back. Her chest was faintly moving up and down. 'That's good. Atleast her soul's still alive…just barely though,' he thought. 

If she were physically dead then he wouldn't be able to move her real body. He could though for he tested it by concentrating on wriggling her right index finger. So her body was fine then. What had nearly shattered her soul though? That was what was definitely wrong. It was the only thing that could explain such deep wounds on the spectral form of his aibou. 

He shook her gently again and whispered, "Ichidou?" She didn't respond. Her eyelids were quivering though, indicating she was dreaming. He eyed the necklace resting against her chest with the Millennium Puzzle. Scarlet, green, and azure gems and gold winked in the low light of Ichidou's now demolished soul room. The blue walls were splattered with blood and the carpet was soaked with the thick crimson substance. 

Feeling a mixture of dread and unease, Yami pulled her over to one of the corners of the room. A huge pile of cerulean pillows lay there, on which he set her on. She was still a motionless doll even in her new, more comfortable position. Trying to stop her soul from bleeding anymore, Yami grabbed a blanket resting next to the pillows and wrapped it around her abdomen. With the major back and front gashes covered the amount of blood being spilled deceased. 

Ichidou was deathly pale, her brown curls bordering her face in blood-drenched hanks. He had to do something. But what could've been painful enough to do this to his little "Mou Hitori No Boku?" He would've smirked if the situation hadn't been so grave. The nickname had been one Yugi and Ryou Bakura had given their yami long ago for it basically meant "The Other Me." Of course Yugi and Yami and Ryou and Yami Bakura resembled one another far more than Ichidou and Yami did. Ichidou looked quite like Nef-No, he wouldn't think of her. 

Finally, he resolved to contact someone who knew enough about souls that they would know what to do he hoped. He was reluctant though. He had no difficulty with the hikari; it was the fellow yami and over three thousand year old spirit that he had a problem with. 

Closing his eyes and focusing, he took over Ichidou's body as easily as if he were putting on a glove. As he opened his eyes, Ichidou's body's eyes did the same. In her body, he slipped out of bed and grabbed Ichidou's red sweatshirt, pulling it over her pajamas. He glided into the hallway outside the room and carefully slid down the stairs, skipping the step that creaked. He had learned this, like many things about her family and house, from Ichidou. 

He went into the kitchen, checking to be sure Kyoko was sleeping in her bedroom first. He picked up the phonebook lying on the counter and flipped through until he reached the B's. _'Bachi, Agari… Baddoma, Ten… Hmm… Ah! Bakura, Ryou.'_ He gripped the telephone hanging on the wall warily_. 'An ancient Pharaoh can only get so used to new technology,'_ he mused. He dialed the number slowly while keeping his eyes on the book, the phone, and Ichidou who was looking worse if that was possible. He prayed to every Egyptian God and Goddess that Ryou would answer. 

Apparently the Gods granted his wish for in the next instant a groggy voice queried, "Eh, Moshimoshi?" A muffled yawn followed. It was nearly one in the morning after all. 

"Ryou," came Yami's deep voice from Ichidou's body.

A scuffling sound issued from the receiver before a dark voice hissed, "_Pharaoh!_"

"Ah, so the Tomb Robber is awake as well?" questioned Yami mockingly.

"Argh," grumbled the other yami.

"Uft," Ryou muttered, regaining control of his body. "You wished to speak with _me_, Yami Yu…er… Isn't it Yami Ichidou now?" he asked courteously.

"Yes. There is something wrong with Ichidou in fact and I would like your assistance," replied the King of Games.

"What? 'Can't protect your new little host, Pharaoh?!" snapped Yami Bakura.

Ignoring his other half, Ryou queried, "How can I help?"

"Yugi told me long ago you dealed with problems… _of the mind_."

"Hmm," muttered Ryou. "That is an eloquent way of putting it. Truth be told though, I'm a psychologist. If you bring her here though, I might be able to help your hikari."

Yami could hear Yami Bakura grumbling in the background as Ryou gave him his address.

************************************************************************

It was amazing that Yami knew some of things he did about modern civilization. He had lived with Yugi, Anzu, and their kodomotachi for many years after all though. These skills came in handy when:

A) You had complete control of your hikari's body

B) The hikari couldn't help you, and…

C) You were traveling

He decided to grab Ichidou's purse and use her money for a bus. So he walked to the bus stop on the corner and waited only seven minutes for the bus to arrive.

He had left a note on the kitchen counter for Kyouko in the best hiragana he could write in a hurry. _'It is a wonder I can even speak the language,'_ considered Yami, frowning at the poorly formed letters. The message said in English:

_Lady Kyouko,_

_Must see an old friend. Ichidou and I vow to return by midday. Do not worry._

**_Pha  Ate   Yami_**

************************************************************************

The first thing Yami noticed was Ryou Bakura had not altered much. His hair was still very white, but only a little longer than shoulder-length now so that, minus a scar, sturdiness, and youth, he looked very much like his yami had alive. He was adorned in a blue sweater and jeans with his eyes glinting in the moonlight. He was fairly old with a kind, winkled face and his hands clasped before him as he stood and greeted Yami in front of his home. 

"Youkoso*!" greeted Ryou a bit tiredly. (A/N: Youkoso=Welcome!, Nice to see you!) He studied the small, female figure before him. If he knew anything about this particular yami, Ryou surmised that the blonde streaks in her chocolate-colored curls and her amethyst eyes were because of the Pharaoh's present possession of her. "Come inside."

Once settled inside Yami related what had occurred from the time he had found the engraved door in his soul room to when he had discovered Ichidou's soul lying, gory in her soul room. 

Ryou had mostly decided to take up his profession because of his Millennium Ring's effect on his mind and so that he would fix his psychological problems with his rather manipulating yami. As he listened, he soon realized that perhaps his expertise could help teenage Ichidou. 

"Well," muttered Ryou, lying back in his chair with a thoughtful expression. "I can't exactly go into Ichidou's soul to help her, but I know who can for me and can show me exactly what's wrong."

"Who would that be?" Yami asked.

"Mou Hitori No Boku of course," Ryou said grinning. "Right, Yami?" he asked his yami from outside the tomb robber's soul room. 

In the physical world, Ryou jolted as if from a blow and a deep voice came from his throat, "Not a chance, teinousha!" 

"I do not want _him_ near my aibou anyway," growled Yami. 

"That's the only option really. Besides," Ryou said seriously, "if her soul isn't helped heal it will be quite some time before she even awakens at all. I suggest you both cooperate for once for the sake of the girl alone." He frowned, addressing his yami, he said, "By the way, even you could benefit from this, Mou Hitori No Boku."

"Unlikely, baka," objected the ancient tomb robber. 

"Well, consider yourself chucked into a forest again," retorted Ryou, holding the Millennium Ring meaningfully.

"I'll just come back, ketsunoana*," his yami snapped maliciously. (A/N: Ketsunoana=ass*)

"You just try it," Ryou growled while Yami sighed. He could hear none of the conversation, but from the look on Ryou's face, he was having a dispute with the Egyptian thief. 

************************************************************************

Much arguing later, the Millennium Ring was slipped over Ichidou's neck. Ryou's was plastered with a triumphant smirk while Yami and Bakura frowned begrudgingly. In the next instant, a cursing Bakura appeared outside Ichidou's soul room door. He opened the door with a bang, noting the blood on its surface beforehand. 

"All right, I'm here. _Now what the hell am I supposed to do?!_" he snarled.

The Pharaoh was in the corner looking like a rabid animal defending its territory, his violet eyes flashing at the tomb robber. He was hovering over Ichidou's unconscious, bloody soul while Bakura crossed his arms and stepped towards them. 

He had to admit the Pharaoh's new little vessel was in pretty bad shape. It was one thing to have a body in such shape for then the person was probably dead, but to have a living soul in such haggard form meant the person had gone through hell and back so to speak. He took control of Ichidou's body from a reluctant, vigilant Yami to address Ryou. 

"What the hell can I do, baka?" the King of Thieves snapped through the girl's body. 

"First, just give me her diagnosis in more familiar terms," responded Ryou evenly. He smiled softly at how obvious it was who was in control of Ichidou. His yami was known for more gruff ways of putting things after all. 

"She's a bloody mess."

"So I gather."

"Well, what else is there to say?!" roared Bakura. 

"Try touching her forehead and picking up some of her recent memories," Ryou said calming as he tapped one finger to his own forehead while setting his left elbow on his armrest. 

"Argh," grunted Yami Bakura as he walked closer to Yami and Ichidou. Yami gave him a fierce glower before moving from his position beside his hikari. He watched as Bakura reached out and placed a finger on Ichidou's forehead. 

Ichidou grumbled in her slumber, but otherwise made no movement as Bakura flinched at the assault of recollections that he gathered from her. He broke away after a moment as if he'd been struck. 

"Now-Now what do I do?" he muttered.

"Let me analyze what you've gathered," Ryou said, taking the Millennium Ring and placing it around his own neck. Yami Bakura vanished from Ichidou's soul room as soon as this occurred, leaving Yami in control again. 

In his soul room, Ryou studied Yami Bakura before holding out his hand. Bakura wearily took it and fed the memories to his hikari who recoiled slightly. Flashes of a smirking, sun-darkened female face, a glinting dagger, a girl's scream, running footsteps, blood, and a kiss between a man and a woman appeared before his eyes. He shuddered after he had looked over the images once. It felt as if he'd been drenched in cold water. 

He took a deep breath and dived into the memories again. He saw a bit more of the first woman this time. She was bejeweled and dressed in long, white robes. The second woman was younger with dark braided hair. It took him a moment of examining the picture before he realized how very much like Ichidou she looked. He soon discovered the person that was running away from the first woman was this Ichidou-like Egyptian. He was sure the two women, and even the man the latter had kissed, were Egyptian by their garb in any case. 

He then eyed the kiss thoughtfully. As he had suspected, it was the Pharaoh and the Ichidou-like woman. _'There's no mistaking the Pharaoh's hair really,'_ Ryou mused with a slight twist of his lips.  

He found a bit more images when he plummeted in again. It was the Ichidou-like girl who was bleeding from lesions the first woman had inflicted on her. _''Probably the past life of Ichidou if I know anything about yami and hikari,' _Ryou reasoned. _'There are no coincidences where they're concerned.'_

Finally, he turned to Ichidou's body where Yami waited agitatedly. "This may seem strange, but she was definitely in Ancient Egypt," said Ryou.

Yami sucked in a breath. "I-How?" he finally resolved on asking.

"Most of the memories I saw where of her as a young Egyptian woman being… well, _murdered_," Ryou admitted. 

"Murdered?" muttered Yami, looking thoughtfully at the ground.

"Kinda slow today, Pharaoh?" snapped Yami Bakura.

"What is that supposed to mean, Tomb Robber?" Yami growled.

"Can't you think of a time back home when a girl like your little hikari was stabbed to death in the palace?" the King of Thieves riposted.

"Wha-I-I," the Game King tried to snap back only to realize exactly what the other Ancient Egyptian spirit meant.

"Catching on I see," said Yami Bakura, smirking coolly. 

"Nebet," mumbled Yami, glancing at Ichidou's fragile soul. He could see the similarities. He'd always noticed them, but never really concentrated on them. The memories were too painful and he realized just what was behind that door in his soul room with the udjat on it. "Gods above. She saw Nebet's death," whispered Yami numbly. 

"You got it, Pharaoh," said Yami Bakura, his smirk widening. "I heard stories of how, because of little Lady Neferetiabet, you had your own mother imprisoned," he added before Ryou took back control of his body and scowled fiercely at his yami. 

"There was nothing else I could bear to do with her," Yami feebly defended the jibe. "She-She murdered Nebet," he added with difficulty.

"Who was a little concubine," said Bakura in his soul room.

Ryou made sure Yami hadn't heard his darker half's taunt before saying, "Well, this explains Ichidou's lack of… _liveliness_."

"W-What can I do to aid her?" Yami finally stammered.

"I'd say the only thing you can do is talk to her," said Ryou. "Be gentle though. She'll wake up sooner if you just sit and chat with her as she sleeps. She'll react to your voice eventually."

"How long?" Yami muttered.

"Two or three days," answered Ryou. "You'll have to control her body 'til then. When she does wake though she'll be very frail and have trouble staying…_calm_ per se. Her soul needs time to heal and it will probably take a lot of it." 

"All right," Yami whispered, nodding. "Thank you."

"It's no problem at all," Ryou said. "I needed a visit from an old friend. Besides, it's been pretty dull with only my Mou Hitori No Boku to talk to."

"You shouldn't talk, baka," hissed Yami Bakura.

Yami smiled weakly. Hopefully his hikari would awaken soon. 

************************************************************************

Yami was back soon enough so that Kyouko didn't know they were gone, but that didn't mean she didn't notice Yami was in control when she did awaken. Yami's incorporeal ears were still ringing and it had been two days. It was strange having total control of Ichidou's body. It had been many years since he'd had full control of a hikari and it was disconcerting having a female body at that. Ichidou's wounds ceased bleeding on the second day, but they were still gaping cuts that Yami tried to bandage up the best he could.

The third day was Monday and Yami was afraid he would have to pretend he was Ichidou at school. Kyouko saved him from it though by ordering that Ichidou stay home atleast until she woke up. Ichidou's okaasan was becoming accustomed to having such a deep voice coming from her daughter's body. Still, it was bizarre to say the least. 

It was on this day while Kyouko was at her job that Ichidou awoke. Kyouko worked at a doctor's office as a nurse and was gone from about ten until six most weekdays. So as Yami sat in Ichidou's bedroom, lying on her bed while talking to the previously motionless Ichidou, he heard his hikari's soul mumble, "Oh! My stomach… _Ouch!_"

Yami immediately had his full attention on his aibou who was groaning in agony. "Ichidou, can you hear me?" he asked.

"Hai… _Argh_… Oh, I hurt so bad," grumbled Ichidou, opening her emerald eyes. They were hazy for her head was spinning with pain. She pressed her palms to her forehead and scrunched up her eyes. "Everything's so blurry. What hap-**_Ah!_**" That was when everything came crashing around her ears. She could remember it all: The kiss, Atem, Miw-sher, oh, and worse of all Netikerty and her murder of Nebet. 

Ichidou couldn't help it. She began to sob into her hands as her shoulders shook. She cried out in shock when she felt hands from behind. She gave a little sigh when she realized it was Yami awkwardly placing his hands on her shoulders. It really was his way of attempting to sooth her so Ichidou turned all the way around to face him and buried her face in his shirt as she bawled. She didn't care how embarrassing it was. Her soul craved comfort and that was something that, at the moment, only _he _could give her. 

Eventually, Ichidou fell back asleep. The only way Yami could tell was her sobs had receded and her breathing was heavy against his chest. He reluctantly moved her onto a new, blood-free set of pillows in her soul room. Then he sat, ever docile, beside her, watching her sleep. It was another consolation that kept Ichidou from thinking about what had occurred so many millennia ago for as long as possible. When she awoke, she knew she would have to face her inner demons. For now though, she slept dreamlessly. 

************************************************************************

A/N: Please review!!! ^_^ 

Iyami: You think you'll get death threats again? 

Choccy: I dunno. I hope not. *laughs*

Iyami: You bounce back quickly anyway. 

Choccy: True. Hehe. ^___- Sayonara 'til next chapter!


	13. Duel Thirteen: Chiyu Healing

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

A/N: Hmm… This story really seems like it's going to be longer than any of my fanfics before. My longest one is 23 chapters and I estimate this on being atleast 25. We shall see though. ^_-

A/N 2: I'm scraping the preview for this. I've decided it doesn't work for this chapter or the last. *laughs* I don't even know if anymore read it anyway. It _was_ at the bottom of the last chapter. ^_^

A/N 3: I was rereading chapter 3 and I realized something. Both Ke-ki and High Priest Seto said something like, "You know talking to yourself is a sign of insanity." *laughs* I seem to like that line…

Iyami: Or it could be that people say that a lot to you.

Choccy: Smart aleck! 

Iyami: =P

Choccy: *laughs* Taking a leaf out of my book I see. ^__^ Here's chapter 13!

**_Duel Thirteen: Chiyu (Healing)_**

Ichidou pressed her face closer into the heap of pillows. _'I refuse to wake up,'_ she thought, ignoring the blatant facts that she was already awake and thoughts of her time in Ancient Egypt were already creeping around her maliciously. Finally, she gave up and opened one eye. She was physically in her bedroom and spiritually still lying beside Yami. Her gaze met the King of Games who made no move to say anything. He was a still form beside her and it appeared he hadn't moved in some time. _'Time's probably different for spirits anyway,'_ she realized.

"Daijoubu ka?" Ichidou muttered. 

"I haven't changed," said Yami blandly. "After all, only the living can."

"Not always true," Ichidou contradicted wearily, flashes of a sparkling dagger being dug into her abdomen were obstructing her vision. She winced and dug her face back into the pillows. "I doubt you're the same spirit you were when you were first awakened after five thousand years," she muttered.

"Hmm," mumbled Yami. "I'll admit I wasn't. Back then I wouldn't have given a second thought to hurting someone to achieve a noble goal," he finally admitted.

Ichidou nodded and murmured something like, "'Thought so," into the pillows. After several minutes of stifling silence, Ichidou snapped, "Just go and ask me already?!"

"What do you mean, Ichidou?" Yami queried.

"I mean ask the darn question that's nagging you or I'll shove my foot up your arse," Ichidou grumbled. She was sporting a migraine that wasn't helping her temper any. 

Yami had been around teenagers enough that he knew what the warning meant. "You were Nebet five thousand years ago?" he asked. It could've been a statement really for all the emphasis he put on it. Ichidou understood him nonetheless. He was putting as much feeling in his words as he could properly manage. It certainly wasn't very much by the looks of things.

"Hai," she replied evenly. She was biting her lip though. 

"What happened?"

"I saw bits and peaces of her bloody life."

"Specifically?" Yami asked gently. 

"You as a little runt running around the palace," grumbled Ichidou, her voice too close to hysterics for comfort. 

"Ichidou-"

"**_Non!_**" shrieked Ichidou, looking up at Yami sharply. "_Leave me alone!_"

Yami frowned. She was nothing like his old strong-minded aibou. It was as if she'd been… _broken_. Was this her way of picking up the pieces of her soul? He held out a tentative hand and pushed a few strands of hair from her face. Ichidou didn't pull away, but she did flinch as if she were afraid such an innocent act would turn on her. 

Yami's hand lingered and Ichidou cautiously unscrunched her eyes. He was giving her a look even deeper than anything she had seen from him before, past or present. It wasn't pitying. It was more understanding then anything else, but, somehow, it was something more as well. Something she couldn't quite place. 

She didn't dwell on it any longer for a solitary tear was making its way out of her right eye. She shut her eyes as Yami brushed it away with his thumb. More fell though and soon she was sobbing once more. Yami came closer towards her and gawkily held her to his chest. 

"There was nothing I could do for her," whispered Ichidou after ten minutes of quiet. Yami had closed his own eyes by then for he had thought she was asleep again. He opened them and glanced down at her. Ichidou met his stare with a sad one of her own. 

"You mean Nebet?" whispered Yami.

"Un," Ichidou sighed. 

"One cannot change fate… except with Millennium Items, but that is not important," Yami stated.

"Hmm?"

"Never mind, aibou."

"'Kay," Ichidou said in a low voice.

"Did-Did you see anything else?" gulped Yami.

Ichidou couldn't help but chuckle. She knew exactly what he was edgy about her seeing. She sat up and blushed at the realization that she was now sitting on his lap. She shrugged off her embarrassment and whispered, tapping her darker half's forehead, "'Ain't tellin' "

She rested her chin on his shoulder as the Pharaoh processed what she had told him. Eventually Yami complained half-heartedly, "You're fairly stubborn for a broken soul."

"'Can't keep me down," Ichidou replied, smiling. "I _am_ stubborn and damn proud of it."

"Like a mule?" teased Yami remembering what Mai had called Jou during an argument of theirs.

Ichidou mock-slapped him on his head. "More like a particularly violent lioness," she said, displaying her canine teeth. 

Yami laughed at that, pushing her off him and onto the pillows where Ichidou rolled, giggling. 

They had reached an understanding that day that would assist them in surviving the future. 

************************************************************************

Ichidou jadedly crawled out of her bed the next morning. Her head was pounding while her stomach growled in protest at being neglected for so long. It wasn't as if Yami hadn't eaten while using her body, but, well, she was a growing ti-n'e-ja. She dragged herself over to her mirror and scowled at the bird's nest that was her brunette curls. "Well," she said, "atleast it isn't as wild as some people's hair… How did you get it like that back in Ancient Egypt anyway? Lard? I doubt there was gel."

"I-" began Yami.

"Never mind. I don't wanna know," interrupted Ichidou. She turned away from the mirror and out into the hallway. She could hear her okaasan cooking in the kitchen as she stepped down the stairs. The scent of bacon wafted up at her making her stomach grumble. 

"Ohayougozaimasu,* 'Kaasan," Ichidou said as she entered the kitchen. (A/N: Ohayougozaimasu=Good Morning*)

"Oh, konnichiha, Ichi! Daijoubu ka?" asked Kyouko.

"I'm alright," answered Ichidou, sitting down at the table. She had talked with her okaasan the previous day after Ichidou had woken up and Kyouko had returned home from work. 

"Are you up to going to school today?" 

"I dunno."

"I'll drive you, but if you don't feel good I'll come and pick you up ASAP," Kyouko said.

"Deal," Ichidou replied.

************************************************************************

"Well," grumbled Ichidou a few hours later as she lay on her bed, "I lasted two hours in school without bursting into tears… _I am such a baka!_"

"Well, as they say, bakamoichigei," Yami remarked.

"Nani? Even a fool has one talent?" moaned his hikari. "Where'd you-Never mind that doesn't help me. They also say bakahashinanakyanaoranai. Once a fool, always a fool."

"I was simply attempting to-" Yami began, his lips twitching with the beginnings of a smile.

"Help? You liar!" accused Ichidou good-naturedly as she chucked a pillow at his head in her soul room. The fluffy blue item bounced off Yami's hair making Ichidou chuckle. "Geez, how _does_ your hair stay like that?"

Yami ignored the jibe and casually pitched the pillow back at Ichidou. Not really expecting the considerate Pharaoh to throw it at her, Ichidou had little time to dodge but dodge she did. So began the pillow fight between hikari and yami. 

************************************************************************

By the end of the school week, Ichidou was dying to get a day off again. She trudged home, dragging her weary feet with her backpack slung over her shoulder. _'I'm sooo glad Komayaka let me take off this week,'_ she thought. _'Not that it's terribly strenuous at the cash register, but some of the customers are sooo annoying!'_

Ichidou came to an abrupt stop as she realized who were making a beeline towards her. There was no escaping Ke-ki Minkan and her gang even if she could climb over the fence beside her. She grimaced and tried to keep walking casually. 

"_Yo, Yachitose!_" came the familiar call. 

"Ah oh," muttered Ichidou. 

"That Mada-Tafunesu oban* can't help you," Ke-ki said. Appearing before Ichidou. Her hair was now a bright blue so naturally everyone else in her group's was too. (A/N: Oban=bitchy old hag)

"_She's not!_" snarled Ichidou, receiving a yank on her hair by one of Ke-ki's cronies for mouthing off to their boss. Ichidou could feel Yami stirring in his soul room, a sleeping animal suddenly awoken, its hackles rising. 

"Ichidou…" he said, appearing at her side in her soul room. 

"I'm fine," Ichidou muttered to him, scowling fiercely at Ke-ki as she felt little shoots of pain on top of her skull resulting from the crony's grasp on her curls. "Let go!" she shouted aloud.

"Nani? Does it hurt, Yachitose?" Ke-ki mocked. 

"Ichidou, I can-" began Yami.

"**_Non!_**" Ichidou lashed out at him, pushing him roughly away from her. 

Yami staggered slightly, but otherwise his feet remained planted beneath him as he gazed at her. His eyes had gone cold and all emotion had been wiped from his features. "You think you can handle them backed against a wall as you are?" he asked impassively. 

"_I can._ I just need to get away-"

"And how are you going to get away?" Yami practically spat. 

"Anou, I, umm, _well you see…_"

"So you have no plan?" Yami queried.

"Gomen. None whatsoever," Ichidou admitted apologetically. 

"Then may I?"

"Ohhh, alright, but don't get me killed or anything," Ichidou said, relinquishing her control of her body to her yami. 

In a flash, Ichidou's eyes were violet and her hair was blonde-streaked. "Are you prepared for a game this time?" Yami queried through his host's body. 

"You really are cracked, Yachitose," Ke-ki snickered. 

"What's with you and games?" Ichidou dryly asked her darker self. 

Yami ignored her and held out a hand palm up. A pair of dice where sitting in the palm. "Where'd you get those?" Ichidou muttered. "I didn't have any."

"The stakes are if I win or there's a tie you may do whatever you wish with me. If I win I get to go home safely. Agreed?" questioned Yami, disregarding his aibou again.

"Fine, whatever, Yachitose," Ke-ki said, smirking.

"Good," said Yami. "As the first player, I'll role with these two dice until I reach a number between seven and twelve. That'll be your goal number. Then I'll role for myself until I reach a number between seven and twelve. Once each of us has a goal number, we'll take turns trying to hit our individual goal numbers. The first one to do such wins."

"Fair enough, but don't think I'm not gonna pound ya afterwards," Ke-ki grunted.

"For your sake, I hope you follow the rules," Yami whispered. He rolled both dice to come up with only a six in total. So he tossed the dice again and came up with a ten. "That's your goal. Now for mine," said Yami. He rolled an eleven. "There. Now you can try to reach your goal number."

"Alright," grumbled Ke-ki as her gang and Ichidou watched with baited breath. Yami had his arms crossed neutrally, his nonchalant smile on Ichidou's body's face. Ke-ki received a twelve so it was Yami's turn again.

He took the dice and let them fly onto the pavement. "Ah, a seven."

So it was Ke-ki's turn once more. 

Ten minutes later and they were still playing. It was apparent to Ichidou as she observed anxiously that Ke-ki was becoming more and more impatient. She gulped. It certainly wasn't a good idea to frustrate a bully. 

It was Yami's turn again. He put all his faith on the fact that this roll would end the game before tossing the dice. Ichidou bit her lip as she waited for the dice to fall. A five… The other die was still pivoting on one of its corners. Finally it hit the ground and Ichidou cheered. "A six! That means we win! Wahoo!"

Ke-ki was scowling at Yami as he collected the dice. "You lose, Ke-ki," he said, standing up. 

Ke-ki clicked her tongue and said, "I don't think so, Yachitose." Her band was gathering closer around Ichidou's body, which was still being controlled by Yami. Yami frowned and said, "You're disobeying the rules. That means a penalty game."

"The only one gettin' a penalty is you," growled Ke-ki. 

Ichidou gulped, little tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as Yami stood firmly. Yami held the Millennium Puzzle in his hands, causing a burst of light to come forth from it, blinding the others. In the confusion, Yami pushed past them and ran. 

"You actually did it!" yelled Ichidou. 

"You doubted me?" Yami queried, a smile on his lips. He jumped over a bunch of bushes and sprinted through a garden. He stopped when he reached the next street over prior to continuing via an indifferent stroll. 

"What are you doing? What if they catch up with us?" asked Ichidou.

"They won't," said Yami confidently. "They'll be sightless for quite some time. It is their penalty."

"Couldn't you have done that in the first place?" grumbled Ichidou.

"It wouldn't be fair then."

"Oh yea and twenty to one is fair," muttered Ichidou scathingly.

Yami sighed, giving control of her body back to Ichidou. "Do you ever stop grumbling?" he griped.

Ichidou grinned and said, "Nah. Its one of this fool's talents."

Yami sighed, but he couldn't help but grin. "So you admit to being a baka?" he queried innocently.

A pillow and a raspberry were his only replies.

************************************************************************

A/N: This chapter was fairly light-hearted, no? 

Cineris: *chirp* ^_^

A/N 2: If you're wondering, I got the idea for the game Yami and Ke-ki played loosely from the old game "Marlota."

A/N 3: Here's the preview for chapter 14: 

**_Everything's pretty much back to normal, right? Well, normal isn't exactly a word you use when living with a yami even on a good day. _**

**_Anzu is holding a party and everyone's invited from Ichidou to Jounouchi to the Kaiba Brothers. It's one big reunion with food, old friends, two yami, and three hikari. What could go wrong? Well, for one thing, it's just not a good idea to put the Tomb Robber and the Pharaoh in the same room…_**

**_Stay tuned for "Duel Fourteen!"_**

A/N 4: **_Hiiiihyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyoooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuu-_**

****

Iyami: *sigh* She finally looked up the word for review, hihyou. -__-;;

Choccy: -**_uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!_** *bows* Arigatou. ^__^

Iyami: *sigh* -__-;;; *twitch*

Choccy: Sayonara, minasan! ^__^

Iyami: Minasan means everyone by the way. -_-;;;; *sigh* 'Til next chapter! (Someone save me!)


	14. Duel Fourteen: Curiosity Killed the Neko

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To Yami's-Girl: I'm soooooo glad you reviewed! I was feeling neglected. *laughs* Iyami is my yami/one of my muses. Her name means disagreeableness, gaudiness, and sarcasm, which is something she's very good at. I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's for you and Blank.

To Blank: Whoa! That's a lot of compliments. *blushes* ^__^ This chapter is for you and Yami's-Girl.

**_Duel Fourteen: Curiosity Killed the Neko_**

It was blue, flowery, rectangular, and Ichidou was looking at it strangely.

"Are we going to go?" Yami asked, smirking. 

"I guess so. What's this about though?" Ichidou questioned, pointing towards a part of the invitation from Anzu Mutou that stated:

All other moderately reasonable people who have dealed with the Millennium Items are invited including the holders and friends.

"It means even Seto Kaiba is probably invited. Perhaps even previous holders of Items such as Isis Ishtar as well," Yami answered.

"Hmm, alright then. Do you think we should go?" 

"I would like to," Yami replied.

"Well, okay. We'll go then," Ichidou said.

"Very well," said the Pharaoh, settling in his soul room. 

************************************************************************

Ichidou snatched a raven-black, sleeveless shirt from her closet and set it on her bed with a pair of black jeans. It was comfortable and more her style than the things she wore on the weekdays. Still, she felt as if her darker half had probably influenced the black attire. She put them on and fastened a nearly full charm bracelet on each of her wrists. Little silver charms clinked as she moved. There was a little shoe with her name and birthday written in hiragana on the bottom and a tiny pen. There was even more ornaments ranging from a miniture purse to various animals. Ichidou had been collecting them since she'd been little and received atleast one charm every birthday. Her newest one was a little Eye of Horus she'd bought herself a few weeks before. She smiled at that particular charm before grabbing the Millennium Puzzle off her dresser. She then went into the bathroom and put on a light layer of green eye shadow to match her eyes and a bit of pale pink lip-gloss.  

"I'll bet I'm the youngest person there," Ichidou remarked. "Come to think of it, when it comes to souls you'll probably be the oldest, Yami."

"Hai, but I wager Ryou Bakura and his yami will be there as well," Yami commented.

"Yea, well, you ready to go?"

"Hai," said Yami.

"Then let's get a move on," Ichidou chuckled at his puzzled look. "What haven't heard that expression? Yugi never use it?"

Yami shook his head and watched as his aibou bounded down the stairs. "Ja ne, 'Kaasan!" she shouted.

"Have fun, Ichi," Kyouko called back. "Sayonara!"

************************************************************************

"Ooi, Ichidou, Yami!" said the party hostess, smiling. Anzu was adorned in a knee-length sea-green dress with little sparkling stud earrings. She shook Ichidou's hand before turning to the next guests, an elderly couple. "Jou! Mai!" Anzu greeted them with a grin. 

Jounouchi Katsuya had similar hair he'd had in his youth, but now it had a stark gray pigment. His wife, on the hand, had a full head of thick golden locks. Both were lean and taller, and Ichidou felt more dwarfed than usual beside them. Jou had his hands in his jean pockets and was chatting casually with Anzu with a few comments from Mai thrown in. Most of her attention was on the youngest members of the invited. So this was the girl Anzu had told her about… Only a little taller than Yugi had been at her age, Ichidou was built in a wiry fashion. 

Ichidou decided she had eavesdropped enough, and, with a blush, she continued into the parlor. She recognized only one of the people already seated in the room. He was talking with a slightly younger man with long black, gray-streaked hair by the mantel over the fireplace. Ichidou stepped towards him, and, ever vigilant, Seto Kaiba noticed her immediately. It was hard not to when you're surrounded by so much age and then a youth steps in. 

"Mr. Kaiba," said Ichidou politely. 

"Ah, Miss Yachitose," drawled Seto. 

"Hi, I'm Mokuba Kaiba," said the other man, extending his hand towards Ichidou. She shook it and smiled. "Dochirahe?*" Mokuba continued. (A/N: Dochirahe=How are you?)

"Daijoubu. Arigatou. And you?" Ichidou queried.

"I'm fine," Mokuba said as Mai, Jou, and three other figures entered the room. 

"The Ishtars and Rishid," Yami informed his aibou. 

"Hmm," muttered Ichidou, watching the three Egyptians enter. Isis was clothed all in white with kohl circling her piercing blue eyes Egyptian style. Her hair was long and gray and pooled over her shoulders. 

Beside Isis was Malik, robed in purple and gray. His pale white hair was a sharp contrast to his tan skin. To his left was Rishid, the hair at the very back of his head was still in a ponytail, but now it was gray. He looked formidable to Ichidou with the long tattoo down one side of his face. All three were tan and wrinkled, but otherwise in fairly good health. 

Isis made her way immediately towards them and the two men followed after a word between them. "Ah, if it isn't Seto and Mokuba Kaiba," said Isis grandly. "And you must be Ichidou Yachitose," she added, smiling kindly at the ti-n'e-ja. 

"Hai," answered Ichidou. "And you must be Isis Ishtar."

"That would be correct," replied Isis. "The Pharaoh told you I presume." It certainly didn't seem like a question to Ichidou. _'Isis,'_ she realized, _'is a reincarnation of the only priestess back in the palace in Ancient Egypt.'_

Yami nodded from his place beside Ichidou who jumped. "Jeez, don't sneak up on me like that."

"Come now," Yami said lightheartedly. "You could have easily sensed my presence if you'd been paying attention."

"Paying attention?" Ichidou mimicked with a wry twist of her lips. "You are welcome to doing that, but I've got a body to control, remember?"

Meanwhile, Isis asked, "So, how are you and the Pharaoh?" She had tilted her head knowingly at the look in Ichidou's eyes when she talked with Yami.

"Daijoubu," said Ichidou. "It was strange at first…_naturally_, but after awhile I got used to it." She shrugged and muttered to Yami, "By the way, stop reading my mind. It's annoying."

Yami looked as innocent as a guy with a nagging sly smirk can, which was not very innocent unsurprisingly.

************************************************************************

Presently, Seto Kaiba observed the youngest guest at the gathering. She certainly appeared average enough if you overlooked the strange triangular object dangling from her neck on a thick, metal chain. She also seemed to have decided to wear an excessive amount of black that day. Every once in awhile her green eyes would become glassy before effortlessly returning to normalcy. That, he knew, was when she was chatting with the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. With his group of friends he'd seen that sort of thing often enough. 

At the same time, Ichidou was conversing with the Egyptians, Ryou Bakura (and his yami) and, as Seto still called him though the recipient didn't care anymore, the mutt. It was at that moment that two yami were arguing through their hosts' bodies. Pharaoh and Tomb Robber seemed to be quarrelling over Duel Monster cards. Ryou, Ichidou, and Jou were watching half-amusedly as Yami Bakura told Yami his _Black Magician_ was sissy and womanly. 

It was at this point, Ichidou restrained her darker half and said, "Ahem… As I was saying, you asked me what my favorite card is? My faves have always been female spellcasters. To be honest I don't really have a favorite card, but I do like using _Dancing Faeries_, _Black Magician Girl_, _Dark Elf_, and _Holy Elf_."

"Oh boy, Jou, you just had to bring up Duel Monsters, didn't you?" Anzu queried, hovering behind him.

"Who says it was me?" Jou asked, looking up from his slouched position on the couch across from Ichidou.

"Because I doubt this subject comes up that typically nowadays unless there's an old champ with a big mouth around," Anzu pointed out.

"Ah, you got me there, Anzu," said Jou, grinning. 

Ichidou smiled and asked, "Do you have a favorite card, Anzu?"

"Saint Magician," said Anzu, smiling. 

"That's like the second weakest monster, Anzu," muttered Jounouchi.

"You'd be surprised what some weak monsters can do." Anzu grinned and added, "Like Kuribo. Right, Seto?"

Seto ignored her as Jou snickered. 

************************************************************************

_'It just isn't a good idea to put two yami in the same room together… That's the moral of today,'_ Ichidou thought as she watched Yami and Bakura bicker. She giggled to herself. 

"One of these days, _Pharaoh_, I'm going to shove-" began Yami Bakura.

"Until then I'll await the day when you gain a conscious, baka."

"Teinousha, I have a conscious," sneered Bakura. "It's called a hikari. I just deliberately ignore it."

"_That's enough already!_" snapped Ryou. His yami grumbled, but remained silent. 

Ichidou smirked and winked at Ryou as she regained control of her body. "Well, this has been fun, but I really gotta go." She stood up and stumbled as she and Ryou both tried to restrain their quarrelsome yami again. 

"_Yami_," she growled as she leaned against Yami's soul room door in an attempt to keep him from "escaping." She dug her heels into the floor harder as another tremor shook the metal door.  "**_Yami!_**" she hollered. "_Cut it out! We're leaving anyway! Leave Bakura's yami alone!_" 

And then, suddenly, the door was still. Ichidou held on for a few moments just to make sure her darker half wasn't trying to fool her before letting out a sigh. She opened up the door a crack to see infinite darkness. "Yami?" she called out. "I'm not mad at you if that's what's bothering you. I just don't want you to use my body to fight Yami Bakura when all it'll achieve is hurting Ryou Bakura and, probably, me." 

The Pharaoh was nowhere to be found though.

************************************************************************

"They say curiosity killed the neko but this is a bit much," mumbled Ichidou as she hung from a crumbling slab of rock by her fingertips. Her grip was slipping as she attempted to crawl her way back onto firm ground. Upon returning home, she had decided to explore the King of Games' soul chamber since he seemed to have vanished, against her better judgment, only to be trapped. "**_YAMI!!!_**" she shrieked. Her upper body strength was sadly lacking, and, as such, she was having great difficulty pulling her full weight up. "If I could just…get my leg…up there…" she panted. She glanced down at the bottomless shadows only to close her eyes quickly and bite her lip so hard it began to bleed. The bitter taste mixed with rising bile made her grimace. 

"**_YAMI!!! I COULD USE SOME HELP HERE!!!_**"

Silence was all that greeted her.

"**_YAMI, PLEASE!!!_**" cried Ichidou as her left hand totally lost its grasp on the stone. She tried to grip with the hand again only to have her right hand slip. She cried out in dismay. She attempted to grab the rock with her left hand again to little avail. She now had both hands clutching the collapsing stone, but both were slipping now. She tried to swing her right leg onto the rock only to loose her right grip and more rock to crumble. 

_'**Argh!**'_ thought Ichidou. _'I'm such an idiot! …Okay, I gotta keep this together. What would get Yami's attention…? I know! Someone trespassing in his soul! Anou, which is exactly what I'm doing, but I doubt he thinks his "little hikari" is much of a threat…Hmm… Ohhh crap!' _She cried out again as her left hand began to slip more. She grabbed on with her right hand again. 

"_Damn Pharaoh…_" grumbled Ichidou. "What do I have to do to convince him I'm an intruder in need of assistance?! I could use a real intruder about now…" 

It was at that moment that she heard Yami's metal soul room door being thrown off its hinges. 

"_Kami-sama, I didn't mean that!_" screamed Ichidou. "Well, if that doesn't get Yami's attention I dunno what will… Too bad it'll probably cause him to totally forget about me in my predicament over here!!!" 

"Right on all accounts, doll," said a low voice above Ichidou. She looked up to see a young man, maybe a year or two older than her, with spiky, black hair. 

"Dochirasama?*" Ichidou gulped. She had seen him somewhere, but she couldn't place where. (A/N: Dochirasama=who are you?)

"You can call me, Hasha," replied the guy who was adorned all in black. His tawny eyes were glowing.

"Supreme ruler? I don't think so," growled Ichidou despite her poor position. She had realized where she'd seen him before. He was a senior at a rival school and was on that school's basketball team.

Hasha's eyes flashed and he scowled. A figure quite like someone Ichidou had met that day appeared beside him, and brought his boot down on Ichidou's right hand. Ichidou let out a gasp of pain. The figure was white haired with eyes outlined in black and a golden eye glinting on his forehead. 

"Be silent, girl," snarled Yami Malik.

"Where's Yami?!"  yelled Ichidou, gritting her teeth. 

"Don't worry," said Hasha. "He's just in the Shadow Realm. You should worry more about yourself."

Ichidou eyes widened as Yami Malik lifted his foot off her hand and Hasha yanked her grip off the stone. He held her by her wrists for an agonizing moment before releasing her into the darkness. Ichidou screamed as the shadows swallowed her whole. 

************************************************************************

A/N: So there you have it. *laughs* I would've updated sooner, but until today no one had reviewed the last two chapters. No review. No chapter.

A/N 2: Here's a preview of chapter 15:

Ichidou's now trapped, and continuingly falling through the infinite darkness of Yami's soul. She's in quite a predicament, and her only hope is the Pharaoh himself. Too bad he's rather busy dealing with the intruders, Hasha and Yami Malik (though technically it's Yami Hasha now). With the Millennium Rod, the duo is leading a full-on assault on Yami's soul room. Can Yami defeat the pair? If not, Ichidou's done for… By the way, how did Hasha get the Millennium Rod anyway…?

Stay tuned for "Duel Fifteen!"

****

A/N 3: Remember to review!!! Sayonara! ^__^


	15. Duel Fifteen: Duel or Die

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, Hasha, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To Blank: I wasn't always so strict on reviews. (I mean, atleast I don't require more than one like some people.) It's just, well, I got tired of everything when I just knew people were reading this and not reviewing. So that's why I changed my rules. ^_^ 

Anyway, I agree about Joey's hair. Even I have a hard time picturing him with gray hair and wrinkles. *laughs* 

Thanks for the tips. You're right. A writer's job _is _never done. We all have room to improve. I'll try doing what you said about the adverbs, gerunds, and preposition phrases. 

Thank you again!

To littlewolfsyaoran: You're questions about Yami Malik should be answered in this chapter. ^__- Sorry about the cliffhanger. It did do its job though, no? Thanks for reviewing.

To Artemis*Obscure: *twiddling her thumbs* _Err…I didn't forget Honda…_

Iyami: If she could whistle, she'd be whistling. -_-

Choccy: Alright. _All right. _So I kind of did. Maybe he was there, but Ichidou just didn't talk to him or notice him! ^_^;;

Iyami: You're grasping for straws.

Choccy: =P

To Artemis*Obscure again: As I was going to say, *laughs* I'm glad you liked the bits with Yami Malik and Seto. I sorta like Yami Malik too – though what's with the way his face goes all distorted every once and awhile? *laughs* Anyway, thanks again for reviewing.

A/N: Another duel scene in this chapter. I hope I got all the facts straight.

**_Duel Fifteen: Duel or Die_**

Dark.

It was so dark and cold.

"Argh…Yami?"

Blinking, Ichidou peered around at the infinite shadows. _'It feels like I'm falling through water… minus the not being able to breathe part.'_

She had her arms wrapped around her legs and was falling through something that looked like water, but there wasn't a bottom of it in sight. 

The only light was coming from herself. Ichidou held out a hand to eye the golden glow of her skin more closely. "Freaky," she whispered, bringing her arms back around her knees to stay warm. 

_'So… where am I?'_ she wondered. 

"You're deep within Yami's mind," answered a male voice. Startled, Ichidou muttered an expletive. All at once, she wasn't falling anymore. Instead she was laying on her back in a thinner darkness. She could make out a shimmering figure coming towards her. 

"Dochirasama?" she called out, sitting up.

"I am what remains of Yugi Mutou on this plane of existence," replied the figure, coming towards her. 

"Nani?"

The figure laughed and said, "Gomen. I was just teasing. What I mean is a little part of me, even though I've died, has remained with my Hitori No Boku. Or should I say _your _other half?"

Now that he was closer, Ichidou could see the man's resemblance to Yami. He had the same spiky mixture of colors for hair – minus a few blonde strikes – and his violet eyes. "But if you're an undead Yugi Mutou then you should be old," she pointed out.

"A spirit can be whatever he or she wishes," Yugi countered. 

"Good point. Can you tell me how to get outta here?" Ichidou asked.

"'Afraid you'll have to wait 'til Yami deals with the intruders, Ichidou," replied Yugi.

"Oh. Well, how do you know my name?"

"I watch Yami from time to time," Yugi stated. "He doesn't know I'm here. It has to do with our old bond as hikari and yami. As you and he grow closer it's been fading though. Soon I'll cease to exist. Only when he's finally found his happy ending will I rest. It's kinda what aibou do for each other, you know?"

"Hai," Ichidou muttered. She felt drained in this place of infinite shadows. _'Hurry, Yami…'_

************************************************************************

"_Where is she?!_" snarled Yami.

Yami Malik and his young aibou smirked. "Miss your little hikari, Pharaoh?" queried the former in his deep voice.

"Worry about yourself," added Hasha, his amber eyes flashing.

Yami's frown deepened. All around them purple and black shadows flitted about. "You wish a duel with me?" he questioned.

"Indeed, _Pharaoh_," Yami Malik mocked.

"And the stakes?"

"We win, and the girl and you go free. You lose and," Hasha paused, grinning maliciously, "and we get the Millennium Puzzle and you rot in the Shadow Realm. As for Ichidou, you can't rescue her from the little prison cell of your mind then."

"Any rule changes?" Yami inquired.

"You start with two thousand life points, and we split the same amount between us," Hasha answered. "By the way, you have to defeat both of us to win."

Yami nodded as Ichidou's deck appeared both him. Smiling, he gripped the cards. So, his aibou was out there waiting for him then?

************************************************************************

"Something's happening," muttered Ichidou.

"You're right," Yugi mumbled.

"Can you see Yami?"

"H-Hai," replied Yugi. "It's hard though. They're dueling in the Shadow Realm."

"Whose with him? The two who jumped me?"

"Hai. Yami Malik and… Hmmm… He must have a new aibou."

Nodding, Ichidou peered out at the shadows. _'Come on, Yami…'_

************************************************************************

A duel deck appeared in each of Yami's opponents' hands. "Tell me, how did you get a hold of the Millennium Rod, boy?" asked Yami as a Duel Monsters field appeared before him and a duel disk materialized around their arms. They all slid their decks into the slot allotted for the cards on the device.

Laughing, Hasha replied, "I pinched it from this Egyptian girl waving it around. I was almost caught by this old guy with a turban. He was mighty ticked at me and the girl."

"You know him, Pharaoh. He had the Millennium Ankh around his wrinkled old neck," said Yami Malik.

"Shadi," muttered Yami.

Yami Malik narrowed his eyes, nodding. "Ready, Pharaoh?"

"I am, but don't you think it would be better if Ichidou were here as well?"

"Nice try, but no," said Hasha. "I'll go first." They all drew their first hands and he placed one monster on the field facedown. 

"Your turn, Pharaoh," Yami Malik growled.

"All right," said Yami. "I'll place _Patrician of Darkness_ in attack mode and one card facedown – ending my turn." The _Patrician_ appeared with a backing of two thousand attack strength.

Yami Malik slapped a card down, and, with a shimmer, a reptilian creature appeared. "Attack the _Patrician_, _Luster Dragon_!" he shouted.

"Apparently you don't know what the _Patrician's_ special ability is," said Yami, smirking, as the attack aimed at it ricocheted to Hasha's facedown card. The card displayed a _Raigeki Break_ – one capable of allowing its wielder to discard one card from their hand to the Graveyard to destroy one card on the field – before being destroyed. 

Frowning, Hasha stated, "_Patrician of Darkness_ lets a duelist select the targets of their opponent's attacks as long as the monster is face-up."

"I know all the ancient cards," said Yami Malik. "This must be a card Pegasus J. Crawford created."

"It is. You should study modern dueling," remarked Yami, whose grin was widening. 

Yami's opponents grunted, and Hasha drew a card. "I'll place two cards facedown and Worm Drake in defense mode."

_'It's a trap,'_ Yami thought. He peered at his hand thoughtfully. _'One **Ouija **card. **Dancing Faeries**. **The Black Magician**…'_

"I play the _Black Magician_ in attack mode and one card facedown!" he announced. "And that ends my turn."

"One card facedown," said Yami Malik simply during his turn.

"My turn," said Hasha, drawing a card. "I'll place Newdoria in defense mode."

Yami frowned and realized, _'Ichidou has the same card. When it's destroyed it can destroy any monster on the field… That could work to my advantage…'_

"I'll place one card facedown and have _Black Magician_ attack _Newdoria_!" said Yami. 

Newdoria vanished, but Hasha exclaimed, "With its special ability I'll now destroy the _Black Magician_!"

The Black Magician vanished but was replaced with a new card. "Go _Black Magician Girl_! She gets an attack strength bonus of three hundred for the _Black Magician_ in my Graveyard." He placed a card on the field beside his two facedown cards and declared, "Now I'll use _Mask of Weakness_ to lower _Luster Dragon's_ attack strength by seven hundred for one turn. Attack, _Black Magician Girl_!"

The blonde female magician aimed her wand at _Luster Dragon_, whose attack strength had gone from two thousand four hundred down to seventeen hundred. The dragon vanished with a roar and Yami Malik's Life Points went to four hundred. 

Yami Malik frowned and drew a card. "Monster Reborn," he said, throwing the card onto the field, "bring back Luster Dragon." The winged reptile returned with its original attack power of two thousand four hundred. "_Luster Dragon_, attack _Black Magician Girl_!"

"You seem to have forgotten my _Patrician of Darkness_," noted Yami as the attack was redirected towards _Worm Drake_!" 

Hasha smirked and shouted, "'Forgetting my facedown cards? I activate _Holy Barrier_ to send your attack right back!" The attack hit _Patrician _this time, without being reflected, causing four hundred Life Points to be deducted from Yami.

************************************************************************

Wincing, Ichidou asked, "_Ouch!_ What was that?"

"Yami just lost four hundred Life Points, and, since, your life is in his hands and he's your aibou, you feel each other's pain," replied Yugi.

"_Oh no!_"

"It's alright. He's got a plan and a good hand."

"'You sure?"

Yugi smirked mischievously. "Positive."

************************************************************************

_'I simply need three more…'_ Yami thought, shaking his head to clear the peculiar feeling that his monster dying had brought on him. _'I just have to keep them from being destroyed…'_

Drawing a card, Hasha smirked. "I'll place another card facedown. Your turn, Pharaoh." 

Yami drew a card and hid a smirk. _'Two more…'_

"I'll put down this facedown card and attack the card you just put down on the field with _Black Magician Girl_!" he yelled.

_Kabazauls_, a watery dinosaur, appeared and vanished with a shimmer as he was vanquished. Hasha shrugged and turned towards his yami expectantly.

Yami Malik pulled out a card and eyed it. "_Holy Elf's Blessing_!" he shouted, placing down the card. "I gain three hundred Life Points for every monster on the field, which brings my Life Points to thirteen hundred. Now I'll destroy your _Black Magician Girl_ with _Luster Dragon_! No _Patrician _to hide behind now, _Pharaoh_!"

The _Black Magician Girl_ held out her staff to little avail as she was defeated. Yami grimaced as one hundred Life Points were deducted from him. Hasha and Yami Malik chuckled as Hasha drew a card. 

"I'll attack your Life Points directly with _Shapesnatch_!" he said.

Yami grunted as the creature came right at him…

************************************************************************

"**_Ah!_**" Ichidou cried out, collapsing to her knees. She held her head down, hiding her eyes under her bangs as she panted. 

"_Ichidou?!_ Daijoubu? He just lost twelve hundred Life Points," Yugi said.

"I'm-I'm alright. _Is he…?_" Ichidou gasped, meeting Yugi's gaze imploringly. 

"He'll be okay," Yugi answered. "He has three hundred Life Points remaining."

"_Nani?!_ Three hundred! Oh, Kami-sama," groaned Ichidou, staggering to her feet. 

************************************************************************

Simultaneously, the King of Games was clutching his knees to keep from keeling over. He finally managed to stand straight again and drew another card. _'This should buy me some time,'_ he realized. "_Sealing Swords of Light!_ Now you both can't attack for three turns!"

"'Running scared, _Pharaoh_?" sneered Yami Malik as he pulled out another card from atop his deck. "You know what we're going to do after this? We're going to steal the God Cards back from my previous host's old sister."

"That just means I have even more reason to defeat you," the Pharaoh countered.

Yami Malik shrugged and _The Earl of Demise_ onto the field in attack mode. "Too bad I can't attack. Just wait though, Pharaoh."

Hasha agreed and drew a card. "I'll play _Emergency Provisions_. It allows me to send all my magic or trap cards to the Graveyard. I get one thousand Life Points per card. That means, since both my facedown cards are magic cards, I get two thousand more Life Points. Both were useless anyway. Their only purpose was to get you not to attack in fear they were trap cards."

Yami ignored him and drew a card. _'One more…'_ he thought as he placed the card facedown on the field beside his other three facedown cards.

As it was his turn again, Yami Malik placed _The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams_ onto the field in defense mode. So it was back to Hasha who _Empress Mantis_ in attack mode. 

_'They're preparing to wipe me out,' _Yami thought. He held his hand over Ichidou's deck for a moment. _'I only have two more chances to draw the card I need. This is it…'_

************************************************************************

"This is it," Yugi muttered.

"Nani?" Ichidou blinked.

"He has to draw the final card in the next turn before the _Sealing Swords of Light _wear out or directly afterwards otherwise he loses," Yugi explained.

"What card does he need?"

"The fifth Ouija card."

Nodding, Ichidou bit her lip. She shut her eyes tightly. _'Come on, Yami… Heart of the Cards and all that crap you keep telling me… I believe in you!'_

************************************************************************  
  


A/N: Jeez, it takes far too much work to remember what card each duelist has played, especially when they're using so many facedown cards. *laughs* I don't think I've made any errors, but if I have then let me know. 

A/N 2: Sorry about the cliffhanger, minasan. The next chapter should be out ASAP though. Here's the preview for it:

**_Yami and Ichidou's only hope is for the former to draw the final Ouija card. What exactly are the Ouija cards? Well, when they're together on the field they spell DEATH and… _**

**_Stay tuned for "Duel Sixteen!" ^_^_**

A/N 3: Remember, "No review. No chapter." (I might make an exception though because of the cliffhanger, but don't count on it.) Sayonara!


	16. Duel Sixteen: Meian Light and Darkness

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, Hasha, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To Yami's-Girl: I'm glad you liked it. ^_^ Thanks again!

To Blank: You don't know how pleased I am that you like the descriptions I put into the duel. I hate writing those scenes because I have to take tons of notes on whose used what card and how many Life Points they have at such and such part of the duel. It's tiring to say the least. ^__^ 

I figured it was a good idea to have Yugi meet Ichidou. Yami's-Girl requested putting him in somewhere, and I finally figured out how to make it work.

Once again, thanks for reviewing!

To littlewolfsyaoran: ^_^ Random is all right. *laughs* Thanks a bunch for the review!

A/N: Whoa, this is the sixteenth chapter. When I reach twenty let's have a party! *laughs* Maybe I'll write a side story or a bonus chapter to celebrate?

Iyami: Maybe by then you'll have decided on what your male muse is like…

Choccy: ^_^ I've also realized this story has the most words of any of my stories. ^_- I hope you all enjoy chapter 16!

**_Duel Sixteen: Meian (Light and Darkness)_**

Yami felt an inkling of his bond with his hikari reappear, and his resolve strengthened. He placed his palm on the top card of Ichidou's deck and slowly pulled it out of the slot on his duel disk. 

This was it.

************************************************************************

"Come on. Come on. _Come on!_" muttered Ichidou, her eyes scrunched firmly closed. The shadows around her and Yugi were shifting about in anticipation.

Yugi watched Ichidou with a faint smile on his lips. It was strange to see the new hikari of his old aibou. There was something about their relationship that was different though. While he and Yami had been pretty much one and the same, they were unique from each other, and Ichidou was independent. 

************************************************************************

Yami flipped the card over to see the final _Ouija Card_. He slapped it onto the field beside the other four. Shimmering, they all flipped to face-up position and together they spelled out DEATH. With a final flash of light, Yami Malik and Hasha's Life Points went down to zero, and every card vanished from the field. 

"**_NANI?!?!_**" screamed Hasha.

"He has drawn all five _Ouija Cards_," stated his darker half, scowling. "_Together the owner of them automatically wins the duel!_" The golden eye was back on his forehead and pulsating with rage.

"Exactly," said Yami, smirking. "They're rather like _Exodia the Forbidden One_ in that respect."

************************************************************************

Meanwhile, Yugi and Ichidou were jumping for joy. "He won! He won!" shouted Ichidou. 

Grinning, Yugi asked, "Was there ever any doubt?"

"Nah," Ichidou lied.

Yugi noticed but ignored it. Instead he said, "He'll come and get you once he's taken care of Yami Malik and Hasha."

Ichidou nodded and plopped down to wait.

************************************************************************

Yami watched as the duo bore down on him. It was apparent they weren't going to abide by their promise, so Yami held out a hand and shut his eyes. The golden eye appeared on his own forehead as an energy began to radiate from his palm. Yami Malik and Hasha were pushed back, but they refused to give in. 

Gritting his teeth, Yami let out one last wave of power, and the two were blown free from the Shadow Realm and his mind. He returned to the chambers of his soul and listened for the faint pulse indicating his aibou. She was deep within him, but he would find her.

************************************************************************

Ichidou felt the darkness shift and she knew. 

"He's coming for you," Yugi remarked. "I have to go."

Nodding, Ichidou said, "Alright. Sayonara."

"Sayonara, Ichidou." And then, he had vanished into the dark.

Ichidou stood up and gazed upwards. 

"Ichidou!" someone called out. 

"Yami!" Ichidou called back.

He appeared in the next instant, floating above her in the watery darkness. He reached out a hand to her "dry" layer of his mind. Ichidou stood on her tiptoes and touched his hand. "I can't reach," she cried out.

Yami modified his position and leaned farther forward. "_You can,_" he said in a way that made Ichidou shiver and feel as if she had to comply.

Reaching up again, Ichidou jumped, and Yami grabbed her right wrist. He began pulling her up, grasping her now with both his hands. Soon he had both of her wrists and she was halfway onto the watery layer. 

Once sitting totally beside him, Ichidou felt as if she were floating again. Her hair was lifting off her neck, and she was cold once more. "Daijoubu?" she asked.

Nodding, Yami questioned, "Now, how exactly did you end up down there?"

Ichidou blushed and replied honestly, "I was snooping."

"I should've known," said Yami, brushing a hand through his hair.

Ichidou chuckled and asked, "Can we get outta here please? I'm freezing."

"All right. Grab my hand," Yami said. Ichidou obeyed and was pulled upward by Yami. 

_'It's like we're swimming to the surface,'_ Ichidou realized as light began to filter through the "water" over them.

************************************************************************

Ichidou was relieved to be in control of her body to say the least. Everything felt so strange after being submerged so deep into Yami's soul for so long. So when Ichidou awoke the next morning it wasn't quite just a normal school day. 

She dozed during her first period and most of second. She couldn't even recall how she'd gotten to second period for that matter until finally she realized Yami had taken over and done such for her. She was unusually exhausted even for a Monday morning. It was if being trapped in her yami's soul had worn her out.

The only people besides Yami who seemed to notice though were Kuri and Riki. Both asked her if she was okay. Riki pointed out she looked "like she been hit and run, and then," as she was lying in the street, she was "…run over again."

"Arigatou, Riki. I _really_ needed to hear that," Ichidou grumbled sardonically during lunch. 

Grinning, Riki replied, "No prob." Kuri and Ichidou just shook their heads at him.

"Really though, Ichi, what's up? 'Not get enough sleep?" Kuri queried.

"Hai," yawned Ichidou, rubbing her eyes. 

"You were wholly unconscious as soon as you retook control of your body," disagreed Yami.

"I know, but, well, it feels like I didn't sleep at all," Ichidou replied, yawning once more.

************************************************************************

When she wasn't snoozing, Ichidou asked various other students questions about Hasha. Apparently it was his nickname; his real name was Hofuku Gaichuu. As she had suspected, he was in fact a member of the North EigouHigh School basketball team. Some senior girls had dated him, causing Ichidou to hear some interesting rumors about him. Kuri and Riki knew nothing about him though so her leads soon hit a dead end. 

After school, Ichidou nearly fell asleep on her feet at her job at the greengrocer's. She lugged her body home afterwards – praying against any run-ins with Ke-ki. Her prayers were answered, and, once home, she literally fell asleep before her head hit her pillow. She didn't hit her bed at all though. It took a lot of wrestling with the dead weight of Ichidou's sleeping mind for Yami to take control and move her body onto the bed.

After that was done, Yami projected himself from Ichidou's body so that a transparent form of him was hovering beside her snoozing form. He stepped over to Ichidou's dresser and peered at the items on top. There was nothing terribly interesting to him. Just common things like earrings, books, hair scrunches, jewelry, and the reminiscent of. 

He could barely make out his sketchy reflection in the mirror above the dresser. It was just a shadowy figure topped with pointed hair. His eyes were clear as day though – with utterly vivid, amethyst irises. Ichidou tranquil form behind him, lying on the bed, looked peculiar mirrored from behind him. Her face was buried in her pillow, so that none of it could be seen underneath a canopy of chocolate curls. He banished the urge to touch her tresses, and, instead went over to the window. 

He stared out at the back alley – not exactly an appealing sight – before gazing off beyond it at foliage behind the fence. There were sakura, and he knew in a few months they'd be lush and pink. At the moment though, they were fairly barren as winter approached. 

Turning away, his eyes rested on Ichidou again. He grunted and kneeled at her bedside. He stuck out one cautious hand and tapped a curl lying on the pillow. More confident now, Yami twisted the coil around his index finger. He knew Ichidou's sleeping habits – meaning you couldn't awaken her with a marching band – and how she tended to toss and turn in her sleep, which was why he jumped backwards when she turned to face him and stared at him blearily. 

Ichidou blinked and muttered, "Yami…?"

The Pharaoh vanished back into his soul room, leaving his aibou to wonder exactly what her yami had been doing before dozing off again.

************************************************************************

She didn't remember the next morning to which Yami wasn't sure if he should be relieved or disappointed by. She did have a lot on her mind though considering she had slept from the moment she'd arrived home, meaning she had gotten no homework done. She rushed about, throwing clothes on and scribbling answers she knew were wrong, but didn't have time to fix, in her notebook. 

Yami sat in his chambers, unsure if he should remind her or not. He finally resolved on not telling her and watched as she grabbed a Pop-Tart and ran out the front door. She just made her bus and, as such, spent the next few minutes panting in her seat.

"Atleast I have more energy today," she remarked to her darker half.

Yami smirked from where he was leaning against a wall in Ichidou's soul room.

Ichidou just shrugged and grinned back at him. They hadn't really discussed what had happened to Ichidou in Yami's soul room or Yami's duel with the duet, so Ichidou hadn't mentioned her meeting with Yugi. She was hesitant as how to bring the subject up. _'It's not like I can go up to him and say, "Guess what? You know when I was trapped in your soul? Well, I met your old dead aibou, but he was young and not really dead." '_ Ichidou thought, grimacing.

Yami saved her from bringing the topic forward by inquiring, "Is something amiss, aibou?"

Ichidou cringed and muttered, "Well, you could say that."

Yami gave her an inquisitive look, and Ichidou shrugged off her discomfort. "I'll be frank with you, Yami. I got the play-by-play of your duel via a certain young looking Yugi Mutou."

Yami blinked at her for a moment before mumbling, "Yugi? How?"

"He said there's always been a little part of him inside you and will be providing, as he put it, you haven't reached your "happy ending" yet." Ichidou said the quote from Yugi with quotation mark signs by means of her fingers.

Yami looked away for a moment, ostensibly lost in thought.

Ichidou smiled faintly, and, shouldering her backpack, she stood up and hopped off the bus before her school. She smoothed the light blue skirt of her school uniform. The jacket on top of it was navy with a white trim, and a bow in the center the same color as the skirt.

"Arigatou, Ichidou," whispered Yami.

Smiling, Ichidou said, "No problem."

When her mind was elsewhere, Yami ran a hand threw his hair and called out, "Yugi?"

A faint shimmer lit the space before him and there was his old hikari, the shorter spitting image of himself. "Konnichiha, Yami."

************************************************************************

A/N: Here are the name translations:

Hofuku=creeping, crawling, sneaking 

Gaichuu=pesty bug

A/N 2: Here's the preview for chapter 17:

**_So, what's a mature yami and a hikari have to talk about? Old times? Lingering questions? Ichidou?_**

**_So, while Yami's new little aibou does some more research on Hofuku "Hasha" Gaichuu, Yugi and Yami discuss more normal guy topics… Well, as normal as is possible for these guys. ^_^_**

**_Stay tuned for "Duel Seventeen!"_**

****

A/N 3: No review. No new chapter. Get the picture? ^_- Bye!


	17. Duel Seventeen: A FallingOut Between Par...

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, Hasha, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To YumeTakato: Oh, I have to remember to read the latest chapters of your story "Still Alone." ^_^ Ichi is pretty much based entirely on one of my friends and I, so it's interesting you said you know someone like her. Thanks a bunch for the review!

To Blank: Nice questions you have there. ^_^ The first one is answered rather quickly in this chapter. As for the second one, are you so sure Ichidou doesn't trust Yami? *laughs* I can update pretty quickly if I'm feeling inspired. I used to update every day, but that just became too much. ^__^ Thanks again!

A/N: This chapter came out pretty quickly because I have a cold and nothing to do. *laughs* *cough* *hack*

Iyami: *pats her hikari on the back* Take it easy there. Sheesh.

Choccy: Ahhh-CHOOOOO!!!!!

Iyami: Ah! Take cover! *ducks*

Choccy: Sorry, Iyami.

Iyami: *grumble, grumble*

**_Duel Seventeen: A Falling-Out Between Partners_**

He was a different Yugi than the ti-n'e-ja Yami had met so long ago. For one thing, he was taller, and for another he was more sinewy. His violet eyes met his old yami's keenly.

"It's been a long time," Yugi said.

"That it has, aibou," replied Yami. "Why haven't I known of your presence before now?"

"You'd be surprised the tricks you can learn from an ancient yami," Yugi teased.

Yami nodded and leaned against one of the rocky walls of his chamber.

Smiling, Yugi said, "I'm jealous, Mou Hitori No Boku. You care more for your new little hikari than me." He mock-pouted and continued, laughing at the look the Pharaoh was giving him, "I'm kidding, Yami. But really, you do. Ichidou is different than I. While you are Mou Hitori No Boku, she is your dearest, so to speak."

Yami didn't reply. 

Yugi smirked and said, "You can't deny it. I'm a married man you know. I had a daughter and have a wife and a nosy granddaughter."

Yugi sighed and sat down on a protruding stone ledge. "She-She's not some reincarnation from your past is she?" Yugi asked, his eyes widening. Yami nodded. "How many of those are there?" Yugi muttered. Sighing again, Yugi said, "You never told me much about her, but her name was Neferetiabet, right?"

"Hai," replied Yami.

************************************************************************

"Ooi, Yachitose!" called out a shrill voice.

Ichidou glanced over her shoulder and said, "Hai, Ninkitori?" 

"Ah, I've been hearing rumors that you're asking questions about my boyfriend. I want to know why," Touyou Ninkitori stated, stepping towards Ichidou. She was a tall, pretty senior with straight teeth and straight, black hair. Her hands were resting on the blue fabric of the uniform skirt covering her hips. Her eyes were narrowed, almond shapes with brown irises.

_'Another perfect chance to get my answers,' _Ichidou realized. She couldn't use the old "I'm doing a story for the school newspaper" ploy since Touyou was president of the newspaper, so she replied, "I know someone who was curious about whether he has a girlfriend or not. _That's all._ Since he does, my work's done."

Touyou seemed pacified by that response. "Damn straight. Of course he has a girlfriend. _Moi_," she said, with a flourish of her hand and a fake French accent. "All right then. Get a move on, sophomore."

Ichidou grinned. She hadn't learned much, but that was all right. _'Looks like I'll have to pay this guy a visit of sorts,'_ she thought, fingering a little pink book.

************************************************************************

"So, let me get this straight," Yugi said, scratching his temple. "Several millennia ago, your okaasan killed Neferetiabet because you wouldn't marry her?"

"Hai," replied Yami.

"And Ichidou Yachitose is Neferetiabet's reincarnation?"

"Hai."

"And you were in love with Neferetiabet?"

"Hai."

Smirking, Yugi asked innocently, "And now you're in love with Ichidou?"

************************************************************************

Ichidou riffled through the thick address book she'd swiped from Touyou. "Come on. Come on. Where's Gaichuu? _Aha!_ _Gaichuu, Hasha_!" 

She hurried to the old computer on her mother's desk in the living room. She quickly looked up the address on _Mapblast.com_, and printed out a map of the area with a route from her house to Hasha's on it. Before leaving, she left behind a simple note stating she was going to the mall before grabbing her light, navy blue autumn jacket. Then, she was out the backdoor and down the alley.

************************************************************************

"Admit it," Yugi said, grinning.

"Not a chance, aibou," muttered Yami.

"Come on!" pleaded Yugi. "You know I'm right!"

Yami glowered at Yugi who laughed, teetering on the edge of the shelf of rock. "Fine, fine," conceded the hikari. "But don't say I didn't try to get you to say it. One day you'll wish you had."

"Seto Kaiba would call that prophetic garbage," Yami pointed out.

Yugi shrugged and said, "You have a point. It does sound like something the Millennium Necklace would prophesize. But one tip I've learned is always take care of loose ends early or they'll start unraveling your world one day."

"Where'd you learn that?" questioned Yami skeptically.

"A fortune cookie," laughed Yugi.

Yami grumbled an expletive in reply.

************************************************************************

_'Okay, I'm in front of Hasha's house – damn, it's big – now what?'_ thought Ichidou. _'I guess I should've thought farther ahead.'_

Thick ferns and pine trees surrounded the mansion before her. The manor itself was made of red bricks with crown molding. It was very picturesque bordered by its own little forest. Ichidou stepped cautiously forward, making sure to stay out of view from the house via the broad trees.

"Well, well. If it isn't the little doll," said a distinct masculine voice.

Ichidou muttered a few choice words under her breath and turned to face Hasha.

************************************************************************

"Do you feel something, Yami?" Yugi asked awhile after the fortune cookie incident.

"Hai," answered the other, standing straight. Yugi followed his lead by hopping off the ledge. "It's Ichidou…" Yami whispered.

************************************************************************

"How'd you-" began Ichidou.

"Security cameras caught you as soon as you were on the grounds," interrupted Hasha, his arms folded over his chest.

Ichidou warily backed away from the other hikari. _'Hikari he may be, but he's still dangerous,'_ she thought.

"I told security you were a friend of mine though," continued Hasha, walking towards her.

"Why?" Ichidou asked.

"I wouldn't want them spoiling our fun," said Hasha. With a flash Yami Malik was in control causing Hasha's dark hair to gain a golden hue and his amber eyes to become violet.

Ichidou turned and darted through the trees. _'If there's one yami I don't wanna cross it's this guy,' _thought Ichidou as she ran. _'I can handle my yami and Ryou takes care of his, but this guy is just plain freaky!'_

She didn't bother to not step on the plants. "**_Kuso!_**" she gasped as her pursuer dived and gasped her ankle.

And then, Yami was in control and gripping Ichidou's shoulder in her soul room.

"_Yami!_" gasped Ichidou.

Using Ichidou's body, Yami kicked Yami Malik in the jaw and scrambled to his feet. "_What did you think you were doing?!_" he screamed at Ichidou as he ran in long strides. 

Bristling, Ichidou pulled away from Yami and shrieked, "_I was investigating Hasha! We can't just wait for another surprise attack you know!!!_"

"_Why didn't you tell me what you were doing?! **Do you have any idea what the spirit of the Millennium Rod is capable of?!**_" Yami shouted.

"**_Why do you think I was running away?!_**" Ichidou hollered. "**_Contrary to what you may think, I'm not a complete idiot, teinousha!_**"

They had reached the edge of the Gaichuu Family property by then, but they could still hear Yami Malik behind them, so Yami kept running. He hurried into an alley and up a tall chain link fence.

"**_Don't you get it, Ichidou! He wouldn't have stopped to murder you!!!_**" Yami roared, clambering down the fence.

"**_And then what?!_**" Ichidou screeched. "**_I become a spirit?! YOU GET CONTROL OF MY DEAD CORPSE?!?! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!_**" Her face was bright red, while Yami's had completely closed off. "Oh-I-I didn't mean-Yami, I know you wouldn't-I-" stammered Ichidou.

"Ichidou, enough," commanded Yami menacingly.

"But, Yami, I-"

"_I said enough!_" Yami yelled, relinquishing control to his aibou as they reached her home and vanishing into his soul room.

Ichidou hurried into her house while running out of her soul room and to Yami's door. "_Yami!_" she shouted, pounding on the door.

No one answered as she had suspected.

Ichidou collapsed in the hallway between the rooms and leaned against Yami's metal door, sobbing. _'He was just being protective of me and I shot him down!'_ she screamed at herself.

In the physical world, she crumpled onto her bed, crying.

But still, no one answered her plea.

************************************************************************

A/N: Well, that was a depressing ending. Tells you how I feel right now. ^_^

A/N 2: Here are the translations:

Ninkitori=bid for popularity, publicity stunt

Touyou=embezzlement, fraudulent use, plagiarism

Ketsubutsu=great man, heroic figure, remarkable character

Kuso=shit

A/N 3: Here's the preview for chapter 18:

Okay, so Yami and Ichi have just had a big fight, and Yami seems pretty obstinate in not listening to his hikari. 

What's a girl to do? Break down a certain Pharaoh's metal door? Either way there's no use moping anymore. You have other things to worry about, Ichidou. Like, say, the basketball game on Friday. Hasha will be there with his team playing against your home team. Not to mention the fact Hasha's yami is out to get you.

**_So, in all, watch your back, Ichidou… Or prepare to face one scary Yami Malik alone…_**

**_Stay tuned for "Duel Eighteen!"_**

A/N 4: _REVIEW OR FACE MY INFECTED WRATH!!!_ *cough* ^_^

Iyami: Jeez… -_-;;

Choccy: Sayonara! ^__-


	18. Duel Eighteen: Drowning

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, Hasha, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To Artemis*Obscure: What's the chance of Ichidou having the five Exodia cards in her deck though? Maybe in her time it's more common since dueling isn't as popular. *laughs* I'm working on the whole Yami materializing thing still. I'll get it. It's my eventual goal somewhere down the line. ^_- Thanks for reviewing! 

To Yami's-Girl: *laughs* Ah, another infected person. ^_^ Good idea about the Yami story telling bit. I'll think about it. ^__- Thanks again for the review!

To Blank: I love the fortune cookie part too. It sent me giggling and coughing for quite awhile yesterday. I didn't even think about it as something a fortune cookie would say until later, and then I added Yugi's "A fortune cookie" line. *laughs* 

You know that fight wasn't supposed to be there? ^_^ I had planned a kissing scene but it ran away from me and became this huge quarrel. ^__- 

Ah, you caught Ichidou's little lying moment in chapter 16. I see what you mean about that. I was thinking of her just being nervous and not so used to having complete faith in Yami like Yugi almost always did. (Remember, Yugi lost faith in Yami for awhile when Yami was willing to let Seto Kaiba jump off Pegasus's castle to win the duel in Duelist Kingdom.) You have a strong point there though. I think Ichidou just needs more time to adjust to Yami. I mean, she's always known he's been inside the Millennium Puzzle while Yugi didn't know about Yami for quite awhile.

Thank you for the review! As always, it sent me thinking of more little plot twists to add. ^__^

A/N: Still bored, still sick, so here I am again. Here's chapter 18!

**_Duel Eighteen: Drowning_**

_'Déjà vu,'_ grunted Ichidou as she lied in bed. _'Once again, here I am fuming over a guy! **Argh!**'_ She hopped off her bed, kicking her black cylinder-shaped garbage can across her floor. Trash went flying and Ichidou screamed, "AHHHHH!!!"

"Ichi? Is everything alright up there?" called Kyouko from downstairs.

"Hai, 'Kaasan! Everything's just fine!" yelled Ichidou, tossing garbage back into her righted wastebasket venomously. "Except men are dirt," she added in an undertone.

_'Come on, Ichi. You know you don't mean that,'_ Ichidou thought. Ichidou muttered an expletive and grabbed her backpack roughly. She dumped its contents onto her bed and leafed through her papers. Snatching her mathematics notebook, she reached a new page and flipped open her math book to her homework page. Numbering the sheet, she began to work out the problems in her head. 

Needless to say, she got little done with her mind so far elsewhere.

************************************************************************

"She did try to apologize," Yugi pointed out cheerfully.

Yami gave him a dark glower, and Yugi laughed. "Aww. Come on. You know she didn't mean that stuff about you taking her body." He grinned and added in a whisper, "What would you do with a teenage girl's body anyway, Mou Hitori No Boku?"

"I have half a mind to banish you from my soul, aibou," threatened the Pharaoh, in mid-pace.

Yugi smirked cockily stating quite clearly he doubted it. 

Yami grumbled and turned away, resuming his pacing. "_Well, what was I supposed to do?!_" yelled Yami without warning.

Yugi jumped and blinked at the other. "Nani?"

"I couldn't just let her off for going after Yami Malik alone!" Yami continued.

"Oh," muttered Yugi. "Well, you could've been nicer about it. She wasn't even born when Yami Malik did things like murdering Malik's otousan and hurting Mai and the others."

Yami mumbled something and Yugi added, "It's not the same generation, Yami. She's sixteen. What did you expect her to do? She's not _me_. She's independent. _I _was reliant on you. She's always had to rely on herself."

Yami sighed and eyed Yugi. "Arigatou, aibou," he said.

Yugi smiled genuinely and replied, "You're welcome."

************************************************************************

"It's been awhile, Yachitose."

"You don't take a hint, do you, Ke-ki?" riposted Ichidou. _'I wasn't in a good mood to begin with, and this just tops the cake,'_ she thought.

"Now, Yachitose, I'm hurt. Where have I ever steered you wrong?" Ke-ki queried as her and her gang cornered the short ti-n'e-ja. Her whole stance transforming, Ke-ki continued darkly, "This time you can't pull that light trick. Especially without this." She yanked on the Millennium Puzzle causing Ichidou to gasp and try to clench the item to her chest. It was useless though for another thug grabbed her arms from behind, allowing Ke-ki to slip the chain attached to the Puzzle over Ichidou's neck.

Fingering the chain, Ke-ki grinned. "I know just what to do with this," she purred.

Ichidou's eyes widened, and she tried to pull away from her captor. "**_Let go!_**" she hollered, stomping on the gangster's foot. He didn't let go though, and the others laughed.

"It ain't gonna work on those shoes," said Ke-ki, tapping Ichidou's subjugator's foot. "Steel-toed boots."

Ichidou grunted and aimed a kick a little higher when Ke-ki wasn't looking. The guy behind her yelped as her foot made contact with his crotch. She managed to pull away this time and snatched the Puzzle from Ke-ki. Ke-ki reached a foot out, sending Ichidou flying and landing hard on the pavement. Ichidou attempted to scramble to her feet to no avail. Her lip was bleeding from were she'd hit the ground. Two goons snatched Ichidou this time while Ke-ki took back the Puzzle.

Ke-ki didn't look pleased this time as she veered down at Ichidou. "Now you're gonna get it, Yachitose," she growled.

************************************************************************

Yami's eyes widened. "The link to Ichidou is gone," he whispered.

"Maybe she just took the Puzzle off to take a bath or something," suggested Yugi.

"No," muttered Yami.

"Then what?" Yugi asked.

"Something's happened to her."

************************************************************************

_'You'd think someone would notice a girl being abducted by two dozen gangsters!' _Ichidou thought, panicking.

"Now, Yachitose, we'll let this whole thing blow over if you make it," sneered Ke-ki, leaning over the side of a swimming pool. Ichidou was being held over it by her elbows by one of Ke-ki's hooligans. Ichidou's wrists had been tied behind her with cord after another failed escape.

Ke-ki came towards her, the Millennium Puzzle in her hands, and wrapped the chain around Ichidou's neck. It was tight enough to cut off Ichidou air supply, and she sputtered. 

And with that, she was dropped into the pool.

Ichidou struggled to release the chain from around her neck with her chin for a moment before giving up and working on her wrists. 

The Millennium Puzzle let off a faint pulse of light. The link was faint but still there. After all, the Puzzle was still attached albeit uncomfortably so. "_Yami!_" Ichidou let out, scrambling out of her soul room and into the hallway. "_Atem, you baka, I need help!_" she gasped.

Outside, she was quickly running out of time.

The door to Yami's room was thrown open and Yami himself rushed out. "_Ichidou!_" he yelled. Even Ichidou's soul looked a little blue in the face.

"No time!" screamed Ichidou. "I'll swim to surface you get the damn chain off my neck!"

Yami nodded and partly took control of Ichidou's body. As Ichidou floundered to dry land, he tore at the ties on her wrists. When Ichidou's wrists were free, he gasped the Puzzle and unwound it around her throat. By then, Ichidou  was had reached the surface. When the Puzzle was in a safe position on her neck, Ichidou heaved in a deep breath, coughing violently.

Ichidou noticed Ke-ki and her group were gone as she hauled herself out of the swimming pool. She lay on the ground for a few moments, panting. "Arigatou, Yami," she said.

The King of Games was sitting cross-legged beside her, his arms folded, in Ichidou's soul room. "What was that about, aibou?" he queried.

Ichidou propped herself up on her elbows and eyed him. Finally, she sighed and replied, "I just had a run-in with Ke-ki is all."

"Ichidou, she could've killed you that way," growled Yami.

Ichidou moaned and said, "I know. _I know._" She plopped back flat on her back and shut her eyes. Her neck felt raw and tears clung to the corners of her eyes.

"Ichidou, are you all right?" Yami asked after awhile.

"Yea," croaked Ichidou without opening her eyes. "I'll be okay."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you sooner."

"How could you help?" demanded Ichidou. "They took the Puzzle away from me!"

"The link is faded but if we are close we can still communicate, remember?" replied Yami.

"Ah, how could I forget?" muttered Ichidou, thinking about the time she had set the Puzzle too close to herself when she was getting dressed. She flushed a little at the thought. "Now, do you except my apology?" she asked.

Smiling, Yami answered, "I suppose so, aibou."

"Good," Ichidou said, sitting up. She lightly swiped at Yami's arm.

"What was that for?" questioned Yami.

"For not accepting my apology sooner," teased Ichidou.

"You're incorrigible," Yami whispered in her ear.

"I know," Ichidou murmured joyfully back. She gave him an eloquent smirk and leaned in closer. She didn't even have to do anything more for in the next instant Yami had pulled her tightly to him, his lips pressed against hers.

************************************************************************

A/N: Well, that's a happier ending than the last one, no? *laughs*

A/N 2: Here's the preview for chapter 19:

**_Ichidou and Yami are on good terms again as the Friday basketball game approaches. Yami's a bit leery about another confrontation between them and Yami Malik and Hasha. Ichidou is sure they're ready though and rushes head on into that very confrontation. Too bad this time Yami won't be able to save her. He has enough problems of his own…_**

**_Stay tuned for "Duel Nineteen!"_**

A/N 3: R-E-V-I-E-W. ^_^ Bye!


	19. Duel Nineteen: A Third Close Encounter

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, Hasha, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To Blank: Yea, "men are dirt" sometimes. ^_^

I always try to steer away from sappy scenes otherwise they get out of hand or sound OOC. I do get a little sappy at the beginning of this chapter though. ^_-

Ke-ki does seem to be a would-be murdered, doesn't she? Drowning sure isn't fun let me tell you. *shudders* I still swear to my mom that my swim instructors back when I was four were trying to kill me. (She still doesn't believe me. She says I'm exaggerating on the part about the pool being over six feet deep and that I was just a short four-year-old. ^_^;;) 

But enough about that, we both have good points. Maybe I'll combine them somehow. Thanks for another thought-provoking review! ^__^

To littlewolfsyaoran: *laughs* It's only been 5 days or so since you last reviewed so don't feel too bad. ^_^ I have to agree on your "Kawaii" comment. Hehe. ^__- Arigatou!

To Artemis*Obscure: Hmm. I'm not sure when he'll be back, but I'm pretty sure Malik will make another appearance eventually. As for the Egyptian flashback, there should be one in the Monumental Chapter Twenty©. *laughs* Otherwise there should be one sometime soon. I just figure things out as I go along after all. ^__^ Thanks again!

**_Duel Nineteen: A Third Close Encounter_**

"It's a good idea!" Ichidou yelled.

"It's an imprudent idea!" retorted Yami.

"It is not!" Ichidou riposted.

"You're proposing we confront Hasha and Yami Malik at a basketball game so soon! Of course it's an impudent idea!"

"You're a worrywart."

Yami sighed and began to say, "Ideas like that'll get you kill-"

Ichidou silenced him with a kiss.

"Stop that," grunted Yami.

"Why?" asked Ichidou innocently.

"It makes me want to do whatever you say."

"And that's a bad thing?" Ichidou chuckled, as Yami grabbed her and pulled her into another kiss.

_'Oh, what Riki and Kuri would think if they knew my boyfriend was this three thousand year spirit,'_ thought Ichidou, smirking.

"Promise me you won't do it though, aibou," insisted Yami.

"Of course," Ichidou replied, her fingers crossed behind her back.

************************************************************************

"Ooi, 'Kaasan! 'You home early?" Ichidou called out after school on Thursday.

"I'm in here, Ichi," replied Kyouko from the living room. Sitting in front of the computer at her desk, she looked up as her ojousan* entered. "How was school?" (A/N: Ojousan=daughter)

"Fine," muttered Ichidou. She had never told her okaasan about Ke-ki and her gang nor, as such, had she ever mentioned their attempted drowning of her. Ichidou wasn't sure herself why she didn't say anything. Whether it was because she wanted to keep her okaasan safe, or she didn't feel it was important she had no idea. Only deep down did she acknowledge how severely it bothered her.

"You look tired."

"Yea," yawned Ichidou. She plopped down on the armchair across the room from the desk. "I'm staying after school tomorrow for the basketball game," she added, barring her soul room door to keep her yami from earshot.

"Okay. 'Home by four thirty then?"

"Hai."

"Is Komayaka having you work on Saturday?"

"Hai. Only 'til lunch though," answered Ichidou.

"Alright. On Saturday I'm going shopping with Obaasan at ten. You want us to pick up anything for you?"

"Nah. I'm good," said Ichidou, snatching up the backpack she's dumped on her own lap. "I'll be in my room."

"Ichi?"

"Hai?"

"I haven't seen Riki and Kuri around for awhile. Is anything wrong?" asked Kyouko carefully.

"No. There-They've just been dating. That's all," replied Ichidou impassively.

"Oh?"

"Yea."

"Daijoubu ka?"

"I'm fine with it. It just means less time to hang out with me," said Ichidou, leaving the room.

Nodding, Kyouko sighed, watching her short, wiry ojousan exit.

************************************************************************

_'Can I go through with this?'_ thought Ichidou. _'Can I go against Yami again?'_

She leaned against the side of the school. _'I either go home, or I stay here, watch basketball, and risk a face-off with Hasha and Yami Malik…Yea, right. Like I'm going to pass this up…'_ She stepped into the gymnasium and watched as a few of the basketball players practice on the court – Hasha wasn't one of them. She walked over to the brown, wooden bleachers beside Kuri and Riki who guiltily released their grasp on each other's lips. 

Ichidou grimaced as Hasha stepped onto the court. He was as tall as ever with his hair spikier than before (but not as pointed as Yami's). His tawny-eyed gaze alighted onto the bleachers as if by instinct and reached Ichidou before pausing. He smirked and Ichidou squirmed. _'Definitely a Yami Malik smirk, but where's the Millennium Rod then?'_ she thought.

"Aibou," hissed a voice.

Ichidou grimaced. "It's too hard to keep secrets from you," she muttered to Yami.

Particularly livid at the moment, Yami snapped, "I've lived longer than you, Ichidou."

"Lived? If you mean your soul is older than mine you're incorrect," replied Ichidou. "Aren't souls the same when their bodies reincarnate? That would make me older than you since my first life as Neferetiabet was older than you were at the time."

"Don't attempt to distract me, aibou," retorted the Pharaoh.

Ichidou sighed and stood up in her soul room. She faced Yami and said, "I need to do this."

"No, you don't."

"Okay, you're right, but that doesn't mean I'm listening," Ichidou answered. "You're not like Ryou's yami. You won't try to overpower me."

Yami, who had folded his arms, scowled and scoffed at her, "This is foolhardy, aibou."

"I'm just keeping an eye on him."

"He's already seen you, Ichidou," said Yami. "Now he'll come after you here."

Ichidou grumbled an expletive and turned to the court. She didn't watch most of the game but grimaced every time Hasha succeeded in scoring. _'He's pretty good, but brutal to everyone. Even his own teammates,'_ she thought.

Yami snorted and said dryly, "How do you think he'll behave towards you?"

"Stop that. No reading my thoughts, remember?" protested Ichidou.

Yami made no reply whatsoever. He simply stared at Ichidou without any emotion, his violet eyes uncommonly deep.

Ichidou shrugged off his look though, trying to compress a creeping feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had a notion that it was Yami, not herself, that was causing her brain to subconsciously keep repeating the same thing over and over.

_This is wrong._

_Wrong. **Wrong.**_

It was as if he were beating it time and again onto the drum of their link. 

A teammate passed Hasha the basketball, who took the shot and made it. Beside Ichidou, Kuri groaned and Riki booed. Ichidou gripped her knees.

Wrong. _Wrong._

************************************************************************

The game was over, and Ichidou had lost her nerve. She attempted to hightail it out of the gym before everyone else to no avail. She had turned down a trip to the movie theater with Riki and Kuri for lack of a desire of observing their smooch-fests. Now she sourly wished she hadn't. Anything would've been better.

_Wrong. **Wrong.**_

She clenched a little squeak at the sight of Hasha directly in her path. She attempted to push past him as if she hadn't seen him, but Hasha wouldn't be blown off. She thought she heard an angry muttered, "I told you so," from Yami as Hasha grabbed her wrist.

"Goin' somewhere, doll?" Hasha queried. "I could give you a lift."

"Not a chance. Let go," grunted Ichidou, her eyes flashing purple as Yami defenses rose within her.

"Aw. Give it a rest, doll," said Hasha without letting go. "You're attracted to me an' you know it."

Ichidou let out an outraged snort, while Yami looked murderous. "You're full of it," riposted Ichidou.

"Are you so sure or would you rather your life end all "fairy tale-like." You marrying your yami and havin' a couple kids. Well, it's not gonna happen, doll. He doesn't even have a body!" explained Hasha.

"I've thought of that," Ichidou replied truthfully.

"And?"

"And I don't give a damn! Now let go!" yelled Ichidou. She then took off through the crowds of other students and off school grounds. Pounding footsteps alerted her to his presence and she jumped over a bush and into someone's yard. She loped through the lawn, past a house, and onto another street. To her chagrin no one was on the road for her to blend in with. She didn't stop her pace though ran down the lane.

_Wrong. **Wrong.**_

Ichidou stopped abruptly as he ran out in front of her, trying to cut her off. Her senses had given her enough warning, so she was dashing into the other direction in no time.

Hasha was fitter and had longer legs though. He reached out and gripped her backpack. Ichidou tried to squirm out of the straps to no avail. She was trapped.

_Wrong! **Wrong!**_

Ichidou's mind was buzzing with the word as Yami Malik whispered in her ear, "It's time for that fun we've been promising you." Ichidou stilled her struggle in horror before lashing out harder than ever at her captor.

He didn't release his grasp though and hauled his captive to the vehicle parked at the corner. Ichidou froze and asked, "How did you know I'd run this way?"

"You could say I…_influenced_ you," replied Hasha, holding up the glinting Millennium Rod in his other hand and smirking. "I had a lot of trouble doing it too, what with the Pharaoh inside you and defending you and all," he added.

Reminding Ichidou very much of a canine with its haunches raised, Yami clutched her shoulder. "Let me take over. I'll keep him from doing anything else more easily that way," he explained. 

Ichidou nodded and stepped backwards. Outside, Ichidou's hair was now veined with blonde and her eyes became violet. "What do you want with us, Hasha?" snarled Yami.

Hasha tossed Ichidou into the car and replied, "Just having fun, remember, Pharaoh?"

Yami scowled while Ichidou grimaced. Yami tried to get them out of the car, but Hasha shut and locked the door. Before either of them could do anything more, Hasha was driving away with them. Yami tried to unlock the door to no benefit.

"Child safety lock," Hasha said, grinning.

Ichidou huffed and kicked at one if the blue pillows in the corner of her soul room. She swore under her breath and turned to Yami. "That's better. Now, I have a plan," she said, smiling. "Watch me."

She retook control of her body and sprain forward. She grabbed the steering wheel causing Hasha to curse. He shoved Ichidou away and braked, but not before Ichidou flicked off the child lock for the back and flung open the backdoor. She leaped out of the automobile and ran down the street. She hurried to a house she knew well and rang the doorbell as Hasha stepped out of his car. He spotted her quickly and ran towards her. It was then that Riki's otousan answered the door. A veteran gym instructor, he was a formidable character even in sweats. He had divorced his wife of thirteen years, Riki's okaasan, at the age of thirty-nine and remarried at fourty-one. As such, he had had six kodomotachi* with his first wife and three with his second. Now, at the age of fifty-two, he had gray hair and nine kodomotachi running around the house. (A/N: Kodomotachi=children)

"Oh, ooi, Ichidou. It's been awhile-" greeted the old man before stopping abruptly at the sight of Hasha running towards them. "Is everything alright?" he whispered to Ichidou.

"Non, not really," muttered Ichidou with a bit of panic in her voice. _'What if I've endangered him? Hasha might try something with the Rod,'_ she thought.

"Come on in then," said aged Mr. Tomobito. Ichidou complied and heaved a relieved sigh as Mr. Tomobito shut the door as Hasha drew near instead of confronting him. "Who was that boy?" he asked.

"Hasha Gaichuu," replied Ichidou as she followed him into the kitchen. It was cluttered. After all, with nine kodomotachi and two adults, it was quick to become dirty. Floundering around for a few moments in piles of magazines, the collection of Riki's oneesan, he discovered a cordless phone.

"I'm calling the cops," said Mr. Tomobito. "That kid looked like trouble. Just stay there. They'll probably ask you a few questions."

"Alright," replied Ichidou wearily. She moved some notepads off a chair and onto the table and sat on the chair. While she waited, she absently opened a pad to find several doodles by Riki's oldest stepsister, Hikidashi. A picture of herself beamed back at her. Ichidou remembered the day she'd posed for it. Presently nine years old, Hikidashi always ran around asking people she knew to model for her. In the drawing, Ichidou's hair was cascading brown squiggles, while her eyes were green dots. She was wearing a blank tank top and raggedy blue jeans. 

"I see the likeness," remarked Yami. He'd remained silent until then and now he said, "You could've killed yourself with that stunt with the steering wheel."

"I needed a good distraction," Ichidou stated, shrugging. Truth be told she was still a little shaken up.

"About what he said…" Yami began.

"Don't worry. It's all right," interrupted Ichidou. "Hey, maybe we'll find a way to get you your own body someday."

"Maybe," said Yami skeptically.

"Oh, come on. You've been without a body of your own for so long. You _know_ you want one," teased Ichidou, chortling.

Yami laughed and said, "But there's no way we know of."

"Yea, but good things come to those who wait for it," Ichidou pointed out.

"Hai, I suppose you're correct," whispered Yami.

Ichidou turned away as Mr. Tomobito handed her the phone so she could speak with the police and, as a result, missed the doleful look he gave her. _'It doesn't matter how long we wait,' _he thought._ 'It will never occur.'_

************************************************************************

A/N: And I'm back to a depressing ending. Jeez, I'm fickle. ^_^ Here's the only translation:

Hikidashi=drawer

A/N 2: Here's the preview for the Monumental Chapter Twenty©:

So, it's Yami Malik and Hasha's third failed attempt at harming Ichidou and Yami. Will they try again? Will Hasha get arrested? Why's Yami being so pessimistic all of a sudden? Is he going through one of those "I-can't-have-her episodes" some guys have? By the way, who the heck is that tan, bejeweled Ichidou look alike? Neferetiabet…?

**_Stay tuned for "Duel Twenty!"_**

A/N 3: REVIEW!!! And prepare for the Monumental Chapter Twenty©!


	20. Duel Twenty: The Darkness Residing Withi...

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, Hasha, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To Blank: *laughs* I'm not so sure I know what to say about the last chapter either. It was just one of those with the only purpose of crossing over into a new "Arc." ^_^;; Thank you again!

**_Duel Twenty: The Darkness Residing Within_**

**_I am falling into grace _**

**_To the unknown _**

**_To where you are  
And faith makes everybody scared _**

**_It's the unknown,   
The don't-know _**

**_That keeps me hanging on and on to you_**

        - _"Unknown"_ by **_Lifehouse_**

Ichidou was never one to faint, but she very nearly did when, that night, she was visited by an almost mirror image of herself. Ichidou had been cuddled up and snoozing among her cerulean blankets when she was awaken by someone muttering oaths. Ichidou was a heavy sleeper at best, so it was quite awhile before she even stirred. But the tone and dialect was familiar yet strange, and soon it had curled around Ichidou's subconscious.

Ichidou's peculiar tanned double went over to her slumbering counterpart and nudged Ichidou's shoulder. Ichidou grunted something incoherent in her sleep and rolled onto her other side. With a faint grumble of her own, the look alike yanked Ichidou's sheets off of her. 

Ichidou shivered and reached out to cover herself. She found nothing, jarring herself awake in search of warmth. She opened her eyes blearily and searched for her covers. "There you are…" she muttered groggily as she grabbed the blankets off the floor. Only then did her sleepy brain register the woman standing on the sheets with her arms crossed. "Hold it," mumbled Ichidou, blinking to realize the woman was really there.

"Who the heck are you?" snapped Ichidou, yawning. She wasn't in the best of moods most mornings and being awoken at three AM didn't please her at all.

The lady, on closer inspection, looked awfully like Ichidou to her shock. Bejeweled and robed in a cream dress, the double was undeniably an older, tanner version of Ichidou. Blinking, the woman replied something in a language Ichidou couldn't understand in any way. She did recognized it though. It was what she herself and others had spoken when she'd been thrown back into Ancient Egypt. She couldn't decipher it at all anymore though.

"Who-Wait a minute! You're Neferetiabet!" Ichidou exclaimed.

Being the reincarnation of said woman, Ichidou had actually pronounced the name so the lady recognized it as her own spoken with an unfamiliar accent. Neferetiabet made an "Ah!" sound and began to speak rapidly in Egyptian.

Ichidou held up her hands and Nebet's mouth clamped shut. "Hold it there, girl. I can't understand a word you're saying," Ichidou tried to explain with hand movements.

Inside her soul room, Ichidou rushed out into the hallway and shouted, "Yo, Pharaoh! Your old girlfriend's back from the grave!"

_If that didn't get Yami's attention nothing would._

Sure enough he appeared at his soul chamber door. "What in Amun-Ra's name are you yelling about, aibou?" he questioned.

"I'm not lying. See for yourself," said Ichidou.

Yami complied and looked through Ichidou's eyes at the young woman standing beside her bed. He let out a few choice expressions in his ancient tongue before turning to Ichidou. "How…?"

"I dunno. She just kinda…_appeared_!" Ichidou explained.

Yami sighed and said, "Speak with her. I'll translate."

"How will she understand me?"

"Just tell me what you want to say."

"Umm… Alrighty then. How about "Why are you here?" " Ichidou suggested.

Yami complied and spoke the question through Ichidou's body. Neferetiabet responded adamantly. "She said she's "been wandering this great hazy place for many years" and that suddenly she was "drawn to a great light." "

"And that's supposed to make sense?" Ichidou asked.

Yami shrugged and said, "I am simply translating." There were little sign of his discomfort at seeing his old deceased love, but the anxiety was there, and Ichidou noticed it.

"Daijoubu ka?" she whispered.

"I'll be fine," said Yami tightly.

Ichidou's forehead creased in worry, but she remained taciturn on the subject. "Ask her what she remembers before this hazy place," she said instead.

"She says… she-she remembers her death," muttered Yami after several words were exchanged between the two Egyptians.

"So do I," Ichidou whispered, her eyes downcast. She gazed up at Yami and said, "By the looks of things and our differences in personality, I'd say, like you're Yugi's yami, I'm Nebet's yami. I'm too dark to be the other way around even if I am the reincarnation of part of her."

Yami didn't say anything. 

"Ask-ask her why she _thinks_ she's here," mumbled Ichidou.

Yami obeyed and informed Ichidou, "She thinks she's done something wrong to deserve such a fate."

"Tell her it's because of me, not her, that she hasn't moved on."

"Ichidou-"

"Tell her!"

Yami sighed and spoke with Nebet. "She wants to know why you think that."

"As a reincarnation of her darker half, I know what's happened to cause this," Ichidou murmured.

"Which is?" asked Yami.

"Nebet-I-we… Anou, you know what I mean, I sought after revenge right after I died," said Ichidou as if remembering some dream she'd had ages before. Shadows were gathering at her heels, enveloping her up to her ankles. "I wanted so badly to be with you, and Netikerty had taken that away from me. So, I-I," Ichidou stammered. "I should've have, but I did! I-I-"

"What did you do, Nebet?" queried Yami for the present Ichidou had been replaced by a darker version of the modern Japanese ti-n'e-ja and the Egyptian ti-n'e-ja combined via the creeping shadows. "Nebet? Aibou?"

The hikari part of Neferetiabet that had been standing at her bedside had vanished. The figure telling the tale had the peachy complexion of Ichidou unlike Nebet's tanner one, with bright gold-speckled emerald eyes. She was wearing an atramentous gown with shimmering, transparent sleeves that quivered in the wind the fluttering shadows picked up. Around her neck was a gold choker two inches thick with an azure scarab in its center. Her hair was plaited and pooled on her shoulders in ebony strands. She looked as malevolent as the blackest surrounding shadows with a cool smirk on her richly painted crimson lips.

Yami took an involuntary step back as the transformation was complete. She was startling in all her ethereal caliginosity. "So you are what resides in Ichidou and Nebet's soul," said Yami. It wasn't a question for he knew the answer.

"Everyone has one form of me or another in them, Pharaoh," purred the lady as she sidled to one side. Her black, high-heeled leather boots made _click clop _noises as she stepped. "You are a prime example. You're so dark it's chilling, _koishii_,*" she continued. (A/N: koishii=dear, darling, beloved) 

"So you wished revenge upon my mother," said Yami coolly.

"Well, yes and no. Not wholeheartedly anyway," replied the woman, tugging at her hair. "That's why the half of my soul that was supposed to reincarnated, and the half that was supposed to move on stayed in limbo."

"And what of Nebet and Ichidou?"

"We're like peas in a pod, _koishii_. We're an equal amount of hikari and yami," the lady answered. "Every person is… at first anyway, and to survive as an atleast somewhat normal person we needed hikari and yami, ying and yang. As such, we split evenly. We've become quite a bit different – millennia can do that – but we are, in essence, identical. Identical in personality and… certain _desires_…" She gave him a sly smile, but said nothing more.

Yami ignored this, knowing full well the needs of a dark spirit. This one was older and darker than even he though, making him uncertain as to what exactly she was capable of. 

"What will happen to Nebet now?" he questioned.

"I will finally move on, as was originally intended," said the lady in the ancient tongue they had used long ago in Egypt.

"What of Ichidou then?"

"I will be as I was before with minor changes," the woman replied, switching back to Japanese. Smirking, she added, "Will you try to banish me as you did with Seto Kaiba's darkness so long ago?"

"Non. That wouldn't change Ichidou for the better," whispered Yami.

Mollified, the lady said, "Very good." And then she had melted completed into the shadows again. Standing in her place was a muddled Ichidou.

"Nebet's gone," she whispered, gazing up at Yami.

"I know, aibou," Yami said softly.

"Sooo… How was I? Dangerously sexy in my bad self, right?" teased Ichidou.

"Try-"

"Don't you dare say "try again" or I'll slug you," Ichidou joked.

"I thought you said no mind reading," Yami protested.

"I didn't read your mind," Ichidou answered, grinning. "You may be a three-thousand-year-old wise guy, but you're not really different than today's smart-alecks."

"Fair enough," laughed Yami.

"Sooo, did my wicked beauty seduce you?" Ichidou asked innocently as she sidled away.

"_Aibou…_"

"Just kidding," said Ichidou with a smile before vanishing.

Yami watched as she fell asleep once more a few minutes later. He could feel the dark spirit creeping within the boundary of Ichidou's soul room. He had never noticed this before, but he was positive it had always been a frequent pastime of the lady for many years. _'She lives, breathes…and even thrives in shadows after all,'_ Yami thought.

"So do you, _koishii_," purred a voice unbidden in his ear. But before he could react the lady was back within Ichidou's soul.

Yami could just picture the devious smirk on her ruby red painted lips. He nearly laughed aloud. What would his aibou do next? After all, the lady, although seemingly without a conscious, was still _Ichidou_. "Nice job, aibou," he said.

"Hmm?" muttered the ti-n'e-ja sleepily.

"You've proven you never were asleep to begin with this time around. Your darkest part can't really do what she just did without your consciousness," accused Yami.

"Naturally I can't sleep with all the little bad thoughts going 'round my head," Ichidou mumbled. 

"So you admit to having your darkest part's latest appearance intentionally?"

"Hai," whispered Ichidou with a smirk before yawning. "Alright, so I'm sinful, yadda yadda. Now can we wait to make out 'til a decent hour. It's like three thirty in the morning, and, as great as that sounds, I'm too tired even for something like that. You know I need my sleep."

Yami laughed and stepped closely to her. "Without it you're too belligerent," he said. Smiling, Ichidou leaned in and closed her eyes halfway, not from anticipation of a kiss but from exhaustion. 

"Go to sleep, aibou," Yami whispered gently as he planted a kiss on her forehead. Ichidou yawned against his chest and nodded. "'Night, Atem," she mumbled. She disappeared from the soul room once more and finally fell soundly asleep again.

Yami smiled and slumped against a stone wall of his chamber. Running both his hands through his hair, he sighed. 

_'What are you doing to me, Ichidou?'_

This time no one responded to his thoughts for Ichidou really was sound asleep.

************************************************************************

A/N: So there you have Monumental Chapter Twenty©! *laughs* It was one big Ichidou/Nebet and Yami love fest, which is strange for me… I'm not usually one to right stuff like that. I enjoyed writing about the seductive dark spirit woman deep within Ichidou/Nebet's soul. She'll be making occasional appearances from now on…

A/N 2: I still have loads more ideas for chapters. I already know how the big finale will be like. (I just don't know how to I get to it yet… ^_^;;)

Iyami: Baka. -_-;;

A/N 3: ^__- The preview for chapter 21:

**_Let's review… Nebet's finally moved on, and Ichidou has a dark, seductive alter ego inside her that keeps trying to seduce Yami… Can things get more complicated? What kind of question is that?! Of course they can…_**

**_Ichidou begins her research into finding a way to get Yami a body of his own. According to Anzu, Seto Kaiba can help her do just that with his resources, but will he help? Does Ichidou even want his help? _**

**_Anyway, what have Riki and Kuri done?!?! They say they took things to the next level in their relationship, but a few months later things don't look so good… What's Ichidou's reaction when she finds out? These are her exact word: "What do you mean you guys-holy crap… Kuri, you're not-you can't be… Oh, Kami-sama… AHHHHHHH!!!" _**

**_Stay tuned for "Duel Twenty-one!"_**

****

A/N 4: REVIEW! ^_^ Sayonara!


	21. Duel TwentyOne: Blueprints of Her Soul

Everything

_By: ChocolateEclar_

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga. 

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, Hasha, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission. 

To Artemis*Obscure: The e-mail I sent you has my reply. ^_^

To Blank: *laughs* Arigatou. (I don't think I need any more applause though. Iyami already thinks I have a big head. Hehe. Sometimes I can't help it. Being an A average student goes to my head sometimes, but then I remember all the things I'm bad at… *laughs* ^__^) 

Yea, Yami, having grown up in a tighter society where women just didn't act like the seductive other Ichidou very often, does seem to be more comfortable around "the more innocent Ichidou," as you put it. 

Thanks once again! ^_-

To Yami's-Girl: Hehehe. You spotted my little hint in my last preview. You'll have to wait and see if you're correct about Kuri though… *smirks* Thank you for another review!

To Silverlight's Shadow: Thanks for reviewing! ^__^ Is that little quote/advice thing at the end of your review apply to the last chapter, or were you just saying a random thing? Either way, I think it applies to this story in a way… ^_-

To YumeTakato: Arigatou. ^__^ It's fun writing all the little "twists and turns."

To littlewolfsyaoran: Ah, another fan of Ichidou's darker alter ego? ^__^ I had fun writing her and believe me I was laughing pretty hard too at spots. Thanks again!

A/N: Well, the last chapter certainly does seem to have received a lot of positive feedback, ne? ^__^ While I didn't do much of anything special for chapter 20, I definitely will if I reach over 50 reviews, which isn't that far away considering this story's not terribly close to finishing… I'm sorry this took so long (longer than usual anyway) but I was stuck doing a big project for school. I'm pretty much done with it though. ^_- Here's chapter 21 – which is longer than usual – for all my faithful reviewers new and old! ^_^

**_Duel Twenty-One: Blueprints of Her Soul_**

If Yami didn't know better he'd say Ichidou's alter ego appeared only when Ichidou was sitting bored in class. In other words, whenever she had time to let her thoughts wander endlessly…

_'Never mind,'_ thought Yami blandly. _'It's not a coincidence.'_

It was at that moment that, as Ichidou sat doodling in her spiral notebook in her mathematics class, that the darker Ichidou appeared.

_'Just as I thought,' _grumbled Yami as he gave the other yami a blank stare. _'It's definitely not a coincidence.'_

"Another wardrobe change?" he inquired aloud, one eyebrow raised.

"Why not?" said the woman, shrugging. "As a spirit I can look however I want. Besides, I know you don't object to this outfit, _koishii_." She was wearing a strapless, glittering red top with snug black jeans revealing a bare midriff.

Yami held back a gulp at that, trying desperately not to gawk too long at the lady's abdomen. "Ichidou…" he muttered darkly.

"Hmm?" asked the woman innocently.

"Why do you have to-uh, never mind. What should I call you if you seem so adamant on hovering at my heels whenever you feel like it?" Yami inquired finally.

"Marumekomu*?" suggested the woman, smirking slyly. (A/N: Marumekomu=to coax, to seduce)

Yami grunted, so the woman continued, "Or just Ichidou is fine."

Yami nodded and turned away. "But you're not like Ichidou."

"But I am Ichidou. Just a part that isn't seen…_at all_," replied the dark Ichidou. "Internally though, my hikari and yami have many little quarrels inside just like a normal person. Usually Hikari prevails though. I have a strong one. You would too if you weren't just a yami." The woman smiled genuinely and said, "Well, I have to tangle some equations or my hikari will crack."

She vanished then, leaving Yami to his musings. He grumbled and opened his soul room door. Sneaking out into the hallway, he stood before Ichidou's door. He cautiously opened the door and peeked inside, feeling a creeping sense of guilt already. _'I've been a yami so long I've developed my own inner hikari,'_ he realized. No one was inside at the moment so he entered. He stepped towards the little computer sitting on the desk. _'This is the only item in here I can think of that could possibly her soul monitor.'_ His own was hidden deep within his soul as a glinting, seemingly harmless, golden mirror. It was the same square shape as the monitor of the computer before him, but with hieroglyphs lining its edges. 

He tapped the screen and an image of a young Ichidou appeared. She was no older than four with brown curls. She smiled, shutting her eyes and tipping her head to one side adorably. "Konnichiha!" she said shrilly. Her voice was painfully too high-pitched for Yami, who cringed. "Welcome to the soul of Ichidou Yachitose! I am Hikari Ichidou. How may I 'elp you?" She opened her bright green eyes and gave him a questioning gaze.

"I need the schematics of her soul," Yami informed the demi-Ichidou.

"Can do!" squeaked the child, giving the Pharaoh a thumbs up sign with her left hand. In the next instant a circle had appeared on the screen outlined in white on a blue background. "Here are the blue prints!" chirped Hikari Ichidou, her curls bobbing. She was now a tinier form in the front of the monitor.

As the circle filled in like a pie chart, Yami asked, "You're Ichidou's hikari part?"

"That would be correct!" exclaimed the child, tipping her head, closing her eyes, and smiling again. "I'm one hundred percent pure hikari!"

Yami nodded and studied the complete pie chart. Indeed, as the dark woman had suggested, the yami in Ichidou was small, while the hikari was atleast seventy-five percent of her character on average. "Hmm… When Ichidou was remembering her father's death after Nekura threatened Riki, were you the little girl that was with Ichidou?"

"Correct again! You're really smart!" cheeped Hikari Ichidou. "When those bad shadows grabbed her I disappeared, remember?"

"Hai."

"That was 'cause even I, as strong as I am, was being consumed by darkness. But yami stopped yami in the end 'cause you saved me," said Hikari Ichidou cheerfully.

"Is that woman who keeps popping up Yami Ichidou?" queried Yami.

"Hai. She's getting stronger," informed Hikari Ichidou. "It's partly you're fault ya know."

"My fault?!" said Yami indignantly.

"Yep. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be having so many bad thoughts," teased Hikari Ichidou. "It's alright though. Everyone does every once in awhile."

"Hmm," muttered Yami.

"So? Any more questions?" squeaked the demi-Ichidou.

"Hmm… Non. Arigatou," Yami said.

"No problemo," Hikari Ichidou chirped, waving. And with that, the monitor went black.

************************************************************************

"Moshimoshi?"

"Umm… Anzu?"

"That would be me," shouted a feminine voice.

"Oh, hi. This is Ichidou."

"Oh, ooi, Ichidou, sorry about the shouting, but I'm shopping in downtown Tokyo, and I'm sure you know how crowded it can get," said Anzu loudly.

"That's alright," replied Ichidou. "I just wanted to ask a few questions."

"Alright. Go ahead," Anzu yelled.

Ichidou was standing in the kitchen by the backdoor with the phone. "Okay. I was wondering if Yugi or anyone ever came up with some clues as to how to give any of the yami a body of their own?"

"Ah. Well, Yugi tried for years, as did Ryou for that matter," stated Anzu. "We know it has something to do with bringing all the Millennium Items together, according to Isis, but the problem is we did that and nothing happened. We didn't have any idea what was missing though. 

"I bet Seto Kaiba could help though," continued Anzu. "He has the resources and he'd do it for Yugi. He tried ages ago – back when we were in our twenties I think – but he didn't find much. He unearthed some stuff about Yami, but nothing on what you're looking for. The thing is, technology has come pretty far since than, so I bet he could do it now."

_'Seto Kaiba?! Like I'm gonna ask that old snob to help me…'_ thought Ichidou. "I'll think about it. Thanks for the help, Anzu."

"You're welcome," replied Anzu.

"Sayonara," Ichidou said. 

***********************************************************************

Grumbling, Ichidou went into her soul room to find Yami scrambling off the chair before her desk. "Guilty conscious?" Ichidou remarked with one eyebrow cocked and her hands on her hips.

Yami gave her an innocent smile and stepped towards her. "How was school?"

"Alright," replied Ichidou, shrugging and flopping down onto the pile of blue pillows in the corner. "Now, tell me what _you've_ been doing."

Chuckling, Yami said, "I was simply checking something."

"_Riightt…_" Ichidou muttered. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her eyebrow had risen even higher – if that were possible. "I know what you did ya know, so you don't need to hide it. I _am_ Hikari and Yami Ichidou after all."

"Non, you're different," Yami stated. 

Ichidou shrugged again and replied, "Well, naturally. They're only part of me."

"Non. They don't seem to make up who you are presently."

"Hmm? Really?"

"Hai," answered Yami. "One is purer than anyone could even hope to be, while the other is the complete opposite. Neither is very like you."

"'Says a three thousand year old guy," Ichidou remarked. "I am like them. Maybe you just don't know me as well as you think?"

Yami grunted and said, "I should've known. You're Yami Ichidou."

Ichidou smirked. "True enough. Your little aibou is busy at the moment looking into ways to get you a body of your own."

"So Ichidou is only partly paying attention to me?"

"'Fraid I am," the woman replied, smirking. "The petite Hikari is dealing with conflicting feelings. 'To contact Kaiba, or to not contact Kaiba? Hmm…" She stood up abruptly and mumbled, "_Kami-sama…_ Gomen, _koishii_. I gotta split."

She vanished before Yami could respond, leaving him to his thoughts once more. He turned his attention to what exactly Ichidou's body was doing. She was with Kuri and Riki. There was something different about Kurisutaru. Even with her black duster on you could tell she wasn't so slender anymore.

Yami's violet eyes became as wide as saucers and both his eyebrows rose. "_Amun-Ra…_"

************************************************************************

"_What do you mean you guys – holy crap…_" Ichidou faltered.__

Riki nodded awkwardly as Ichidou continued sharply, "_Kuri, you're not – you can't be… Oh, Kami-sama…_Can you guys give me a minute?" She ran out of the room and into a bathroom. All that could be heard was, "_… **AHHHHHHH!!!**_"

Let's back track a bit. A few minutes after Ichidou's conversation with Anzu on the telephone, Kuri had called, her voice more subdued than usual. 

"'Sup, Kuri?" Ichidou had inquired.

"Can you come over to my house, Ichi?" Kuri asked.

"Yea, I guess. When?"

"Now. _Onegai_," Kuri pleaded.

"Sure thing. I'll be over in… I dunno. Ten minutes?"

"Thanks."

"Ja ne!"

"Sayonara," Kuri had replied.

About ten minutes later, Ichidou arrived on Kuri's welcome mat. An unusually downcast Riki opened the door. "Follow me," he muttered. Ichidou had obliged and found herself in Kuri's bedroom. The fellow teenage girl was sitting on her bed, staring at her toes. It was then that Kuri looked up, clutching her stomach and rushed from the room and to the bathroom. A sickening sound reached Ichidou's ears. She cringed and turned to Riki.

"Is she okay?" she questioned.

Riki shook his head and heaved a sigh. He sat down on Kuri's vacated seat and put his head in his hands. "She's been sick all day… We moved up a level in our relationship a coupla' months ago, and now… she… _she_…" he stammered.

Ichidou took an involuntary step back as Kuri entered the room. "My Kami-sama…" Ichidou gasped. "_What do you mean you guys – holy crap…_"

************************************************************************

After her bought of screaming was complete, Ichidou returned to Kuri's bedroom where Riki and Kuri greeted her with weary smiles.  "Are you really pregnant?" queried Ichidou as evenly as she could muster. Her voice still came out as a squeak though. Balling her fists, she waited tensely for the answer.

"Hai, Ichi," Kuri whispered.

"Did you take one of those little test things?" Ichidou asked softly.

"Un," said Kuri, nodding. 

"You're only sixteen," groaned Ichidou.

Riki was staring down at his hands. "My oya* will kill me," he murmured. (A/N: Oya=parents)

Ichidou sighed and inquired, "What are you two gonna do? You can't hide it 'cause eventually it'll be obvious. Even with your duster it's noticeable already, Kuri." She eyed Kuri's trademark raven-black, ankle-length coat meaningfully.

"We were hoping you'd have some ideas," said Riki, gazing up and meeting Ichidou's eyes.

"Well," Ichidou sighed, "first of all, you both have to tell your oya. Otherwise, they'll just freak out more when they realize it with their own eyes. It would be even worse if someone at school notices and tells them."

"How do you know?" Riki queried.

"My 'kaasan had me when she was eighteen after all," explained Ichidou. "My sofubo* flipped, but they got over it after awhile. Besides, my 'tousan stayed and cared for her unlike some dads." (A/N: Sofubo=grandparents)

Kuri glanced at Riki out of the corner of her eye. Ichidou knew what she was thinking. Would Riki run out on her? _'I doubt it. He may be kinda goofy, but Riki's a good guy,' _Ichidou thought.

They discussed how to approach Kuri and Riki's oya and what to do about school. Once the baby was born it would be difficult for Kuri in school. Even right before would be hard. After all, by seven months she'd be "roughly the size of a hot air balloon" according to Ichidou, while attempting to lighten the mood of their conversation.

"Thanks, Ichi," said Kuri sarcastically.

Smiling, Ichidou asked Yami, "You think they'll be okay?"

"After they rid themselves of the initial hindrance, I believe they'll be relatively fine," replied Yami, with his arms folded.

"Why are you lookin' at me like that?"

"I'm attempting to decide whether you're yourself or Yami Ichidou," answered Yami.

Chuckling, Ichidou said, "So, which am I?"

"You're yourself," responded Yami evenly.

"How can you tell?"

"Your clothes are the same as the clothes on your body, like usual, and you're not trying to seduce me," Yami said wryly.

"Or am I?" Ichidou whispered, smirking.

"_Ichidou…_"

Ichidou calm smirk turned into a genuine smile, and she laughed. "Gomen. I just wanted to test something out."

"And what would that be?"

"'To see if you know who I truly am inside and out," answered the ti-n'e-ja. The thing is, I'd like to know more about you."

"Ichidou, are you listening?" Kuri asked.

"Yare! Gomen, Kuri," exclaimed Ichidou, blinking repeatedly.

"You know more about me than you think," Yami said before vanishing.

Ichidou smiled at where he'd been standing and told Kuri, "After you guys are all set, you and I are going to have a sleepover, Kuri. I'll bring the popcorn, candy, and baby name books."

"Then we have a deal," Kuri replied, beaming.

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A/N: Since I don't know anyone who have been in the situation Riki and Kuri are in, I'm winging it. Sorry if their optimistic feelings by the end of the chapter don't sound quite right. ^_^

A/N 2: Once again, I'm sorry that this took so long, but I was really busy and I had a flash of inspiration for a new fanfic and my muses (Cineris, Ainsley, and Ian) wouldn't leave me alone about it. If you're wondering, Cineris is, of course, my baby phoenix/writing muse, Ainsley is my new art muse (she's average looking because so is my art in my eyes), and Ian is my good-lookin' music muse. ^__- All three ganged up on me with some help from my yami, Iyami, and I just can't refuse Ian when he and I aren't being lazy bums who sometimes just don't feel like practicing their instrument. *laughs*

A/N 3: Here's the little preview for chapter 22:

**_So the problem of Kuri's pregnancy at such a young age has been solved, right? Riki and Kuri's parents know, and roughly the whole student body at Kuri, Riki, and Ichi's school knows as well. But things will work out, right?_**

****

**_Well, they'll work out for Kuri and Riki anyway._**

****

**_Meanwhile, Ichidou continues her search for a way to give Yami a body of his own. Will she go to see Seto Kaiba? Where's Suteki Iyashii been anyway? Has she given up her quest for the Millennium Puzzle? Not likely. At the same time, she starts to realize Yami was right. She really does know more about him than she thinks…_**

**_Stay tuned for "Duel Twenty-Two!"_**

A/N 4: REVIEW! Sayonara! ^_-


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